Kashmir to Punjab, Sopori weaves nostalgic melodies
When Pandit Abhay Rustum Sopori struck chords during the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar on Thursday, melodies brought to the fore the best of Kashmir's musical traditions.
The young maestro, who hails from a legendary family of santoor players, is the inheritor of the renowned ‘Sopori sufiana gharana’, which originally belongs to J&K’s Sopore.
While many audiences have been enthralled by Sopori's musical finesse, few know that the melodies of the santoor he plays have association with both the Valley and Punjab.
In the 19th century, it was the legendary music maestro Pandit Som Joo who would travel through Muzaffarabad (now in Pakistan) across the Sindh belt to reach the plains of Punjab and enthrall the audience with his melodious music and voice.
A man from Kashmir’s Sopore who lived on the banks of the pristine Jhelum became ‘Sopori’ and thus the clan’s prominence commenced and lasted for generations. Abhay grew in the santoor tradition under the tutelage of his grandfather Pandit Sambhoonath Sopori, famous as the "father of music” in J&K.
Later, he came under the guidance of his father Pandit Bhajan Sopori, who also earned respect as the “saint of santoor”. “It is a combination of classical and Kashmiri compositions — the musical pieces that I rendered today,” says Abhay.
On Saturday, he will present before the 6,000-strong Indian diaspora delegates a piece in ‘Raag Bhagwati’. Abhay says he carefully chose his presentations for the event. "These will be a blend of contemporary and traditional music," he asserts.
For his recitals Sopori has chosen musical instruments from the country's north to south, including tabla, pakhawaj and ghatam. “The idea is to present a slice of India from north to south," he adds.
Sopori's presence at the flagship Indian government event for the diaspora signals many things apart from the showcasing of the Valley's best cultural traditions. Sopori's own life has been one of struggle. After the 1990s, when militancy erupted in Kashmir, Abhay’s family had to migrate to Delhi. It was a displacement of sorts after 11 years in the Valley. "The life changed, but my connection with santoor remained constant. I have an integral connection with Kashmir where I was born. But Punjab is equally important because it granted my ancestors the recognition our family is guarding till today. I travel to both places,” said Abhay.
In 2016, under the then Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government of the PDP and the BJP, Abhay drafted a cultural policy for J&K under which music was introduced as an additional subject in the colleges.
A recipient of several national and international awards, including the prestigious ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi Award’, Abhay recently submitted his PhD in music titled ‘Kashmiri music and santoor’ at Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh.
