Pandit Ronu Majumdar: I dedicate my Padma Shri to the families of the Kashmir victims
Flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu on Monday. He dedicated his award to the families of the Kashmir victims.
Pandit Ronu Majumdar was honoured with the Padma Shri on Monday. Having received it from President Droupadi Murmu, the flautist tells us, “It (the honour) means the world to me. I dedicate it to my mother’s tears, Bharat Ratna Ravi Shankar ji, my guru Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao (late flautist) and my first guru and father, Bhanu Majumdar ji. With this honour, I feel my responsibilities towards my craft and the flute have grown. My goal is to establish the flute across the world, just like the tabla and the sitar.”
Sharing anecdotes from the ceremony in Delhi, he adds, “Receiving the Padma Shri title from President Droupadi Murmu ji was a divine feeling. This was my third visit to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. It was great to meet Prime Minister Narendra (Modi) bhai. There was a VIP dinner planned after the ceremony. However, it was cancelled in wake of the recent Pahalgam attack. I dedicate my award to the families of the people who lost their lives in Kashmir.”
The recognition follows another recent achievement by the flautist, where he led a symphony and featured 546 musicians that achieved a Guinness World Record for the largest Hindustani Classical Band ever assembled, performing a single composition.
Sharing his future plans, Pandit Ronu adds, “Through my flute foundation, I want to teach more people. I am next coming up with a Gandhi album with musician Ricky Kej in June. Then, I have a bhajan with Anup Jalota (singer), which marks my debut as a singer too. I have also played the flute for the song.” The flutist recently performed at the Sankat Mochan Temple in Varanasi.
In response to the prestigious Padma Shri award, Pandit Majumdar also thanked his wife Anandi and sons Siddharth and Hrishikesh for supporting him emotionally during the hardest moments in the life.
