Pune: The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) recently acquired the personal piano of renowned music composer Shankar (of the Shankar-Jaikishan duo). Santosh Kumar, the grandson of Shankar donated the piano to NFAI.
Kumar said that by donating the piano to NFAI, he is keeping it in a place where it would be taken care of. “NFAI has the facility to restore and preserve this instrument. It is here that it could be repaired, and I feel that if the budding piano players get a chance to play and learn on this, the legacy of my grandfather would be carried forward,” he said.
The Schiedmayer make piano is cross-strung under damper upright piano with 88 keys having seven and a half octave. Manufactured in Stuttgart, Germany, the piano is 90 to 100 years old.
“The piano was given to me by my grandfather. I have many fond memories related to it. He made me sit in his lap several times as he composed tunes as well as played it for himself at home. I wished to give the piano to my daughter, who is also a pianist. However, she is abroad and I don’t know when she would be returning. Thus, it only made sense to keep it in a place where it would be taken care of and be used by someone,” Kumar added.
“This is such a wonderful piece of memorabilia that has been added to NFAI collection. The songs composed by Shankar-Jaikishan are a very important part of India’s film music. The compositions they did, especially for RK films, in active collaboration with Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, are an integral part of the lives of film lovers across the world. The piano has been beautifully used in many of their popular songs. Therefore, it is a very precious piece of musical history that will now be a part of NFAI collection,” said Prakash Magdum, Director, NFAI.
The composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan are considered one of the finest music composers in the Indian film industry. With a masterful mixture of rhythm, melody and orchestration, Shankar-Jaikishan, as they were fondly called, composed several popular numbers during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. They were awarded the Padmashri in 1968 for their contribution to music.
“I sincerely thank Santosh Kumar for his wonderful gesture of donating the piano to National Film Archive of India. I also thank Sandeep Apte, for his help and facilitation in this noble cause,” said Magdum.
