Jammu, January 01 (Scoop News)–Eminent Sitar Maestro Omkar Nath Raina expired today morning at his residence at Trikuta Nagar after brief illness.
He was 73. He is survived by his wife Jaiki Shori, daughter, Dazy and two sons Muna ji and Biloo Ji.
Noted sitarist O.N Raina was one of the eminent musicians from Jammu and Kashmir and hails from a family of distinguished artists. Born in 1934 at Badiyar Bala, Srinagar, Shri Raina started learning Sitar and Flute from his early childhood and later took up Sitar playing as his full fledged profession after completing Sangeet Parveen with distinction from Sangeet Prayag Samiti, Allahabad.
An exponent of Saini Gharana, he shifted to Delhi and came under the tutelage of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Debu Choudhary. From 1958 to 1973, he worked as a staff artist in Radio Kashmir, Jammu and then joined Institute of Music and Fine Arts as Head of the Department of Sitar. He served there till his retirement in 1992.
Widely traveled Raina has performed in the many parts of the country and abroad. His recitals in USA, South America, West Indies and erstwhile USSR sponsored by the State and the Central Government won appreciation of all and received standing ovations.
Artists in J&K condoled the death of Eminent Sitar Maestro Omkar Nath Raina;They observed two minutes silence to pay homage to the departed soul and prayed to God to give courage to the family to bear the irreparable loss.
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