{"id":2127,"date":"2013-07-02T12:50:23","date_gmt":"2013-07-02T11:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kukasikhs.com\/kukasikhs-wp\/?page_id=2127"},"modified":"2026-04-23T12:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:00:07","slug":"ustaad-harjinder-pal-singh-santoor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kukasikhs.com\/kukasikhs-wp\/?page_id=2127","title":{"rendered":"Ustaad Harjinderpal Singh – Santoor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harjinderpal Singh<\/strong> (born 1953, Jabalpur, India) is a Namdhari Sikh and a senior disciple of the santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma<\/strong>. His interest in music began in childhood, and at the age of fourteen his father (Sant Mela Singh Matharu) sent him to study tabla with Bhai Labh Singh Ji<\/strong> of the Punjab gharana. He later became a disciple of Ustad Nihal Singh Ji<\/strong>, from whom he learned the pakhawaj style of tabla. During this period, he also continued his academic studies and obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree in science.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Recognising his musical potential, Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji<\/strong>, the spiritual head of the Namdhari sect, took Harjinderpal Singh to Bombay (Mumbai) and placed him under the tutelage of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Under his guru\u2019s guidance, he devoted himself to rigorous training on the santoor. After years of practice, he gave his first public performance at the prestigious Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Jayanti Samaroh in New Delhi in 1986.<\/span><\/p>\n

While studying the santoor, Harjinderpal Singh received a scholarship from the Ustad Allauddin Khan Music Academy and participated in the Arambh 16<\/em> Festival in Bhopal. He later toured extensively for SPICMACAY, presenting concerts, lecture-demonstrations, and educational programmes in schools and colleges across Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, and Maharashtra.<\/span><\/p>\n

His performances include appearances at the Sangeet Nritya Samaroh in Delhi (co-sponsored by Sangeet Natak Akademi and Indian Council for Cultural Relations), the Sarva Dharam Maitri Sangeet Samaroh in Bombay (1993), the Sankat Mochan Music Festival in Varanasi (1993), youth festivals in Mumbai, and numerous jugalbandi concerts with flute and guitar artists in Mumbai and Pune. He is also a graded artist of All India Radio<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Internationally, Harjinderpal Singh has performed at events including The Darbar concerts in the UK, the Solstice Festival in Leeds, the Harivallabh Festival in Jalandhar, and the Masters of Indian Classical Music concerts at Trafo Budapest. In tribute to Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma noted that Harjinderpal Singh is among his foremost disciples, carrying forward the Guru\u2013Shishya parampara to audiences worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legacy of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma\u2019s santoor tradition continues through Harjinderpal Singh\u2019s students, including Leeds-based Eesher Singh. Now settled in Sri Bhaini Sahib, India, he dedicates his time to teaching and mentoring students at the Sri Satguru Pratap Singh Ji Music Academy, continuing his lifelong commitment to performance, education, and the preservation of Indian classical music.<\/span><\/p>\n