Weekly Saga: award to Patron to the demise of Santoor Maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Who is Patron & why President awarded him?
In recognition of Patron’s efforts and contributions since the Russian invasion began on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Patron, Ukraine’s famous mine-sniffing dog, with a medal on Sunday (May 8).
Patron has reportedly detected more than 200 explosive devices, saving dozens of lives and preventing serious injuries, and has become a symbol of Ukrainian patriotism.
Zelenskyy honored Patron and its owner, Maj. Mykhailo Iliev of the Civil Protection Service, at a news conference in Kyiv with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Additionally, the President said, “Today, I would like to recognize the Ukrainian heroes who are already demining our land.” He added, “As well as our heroes, we have a wonderful little sapper – Patron – Besides neutralizing explosives, they also teach our children the necessary safety precautions when they are in areas with mines.”
In Chernihiv, Ukraine’s northeastern city near the Belarus border, which Russia besieged for nearly six weeks before retreating, the white-and-tan Jack Russell terrier is stationed. Ukrainian sappers continue sweeping up munitions and defusing mines as the city limps back to normal.
At a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky applaud the service dog “Patron” as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine.
“One day, Patron’s story will be turned into a movie, but for now, he is doing professional duties,” Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications tweeted on March 19, alongside a video of the sniffer dog. According to the BBC, one popular sketch depicts him urinating on a Russian missile while wearing his signature safety vest; another depicts him against a split background — with a ball in a park and a bombed-out building behind him.
While Patron has fans all over the world, The New York Times reported that his rise to fame could be part of “Ukrainian efforts to control the war’s narrative through viral messaging.” According to the report, dramatic wartime stories have been an important part of the country’s information strategy, and Patron’s videos on SES’s Facebook page have received hundreds of thousands of views.
The Ukrainian strategy surrounding Patron has been to “develop proactive narratives” and “strengthen Ukraine’s image” by leveraging the Internet’s innate love for dog/cat videos, combined with sentiments of sympathy and solidarity for the country in many places around the world. SES reported that as Prime Minister Trudeau patted his pockets in a mock attempt to find a treat for Patron, the dog was “extremely pleased to meet a true friend of Ukraine, even though he did not find the dog’s favorite cheese.”
There has been a use of dogs to detect bombs, mines, and explosives since at least World War II. They are now used by security forces in conflict zones all over the world, including India.
Due to their highly developed sense of smell, dogs can detect explosives in landmines or metal or plastic casings with training. In dogs, the olfactory zone is 40 times larger than in humans; the nose reaches the back of the throat and contains 300 million receptor cells, compared to 6 million in humans.
According to a Smithsonian magazine essay, 35% of a dog’s brain is dedicated to smell-related operations; in comparison, only about 5% of the cellular resources of the human brain are dedicated to smell.
Even though Patron is a Jack Russell terrier, the most effective sniffer breeds are German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador retrievers.
The sudden demise of Santoor Maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
A well-known name in the music industry Pandit Shivkumar Sharma left the world at the age of 84. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was suffering from kidney-related issues for the past few months and was being treated with dialysis but he lost his life to cardiac arrest.
He is the person who gave the instrument Santoor, an identity earlier that instrument was just known in Jammu & Kashmir. He presented it in front of the world and brought it to a new height. The maestro was known for playing a few other traditional instruments like the sarod and sitar.
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was born in Jammu & Kashmir on January 13, 1938, and he made his career as a famous music composer. He had magic in his hands, and Hindustani classical got a new identity with his music and playings. In the year 1955, he started his journey in the industry, but when he was just a five-year-old kid, his father started giving him tabla lessons, and vocal lessons, and when he was 13 years old, he was introduced to Santoor and in the year 1955, he made his 1st public appearance.
The maestro will always be remembered for his credit for making Santoor a popular classical instrument. In the year 1960, he recorded his 1st solo album later in 1967, Shivkumar Sharma teamed up with Hariprasad Chaurasia & Brij Bhushan Kabra for an album named Call of the Valley which is one of the greatest hits in Indian classical music industry.
Later, he did many works with the legend Hariprasad Chaurasiya like in Silsila in the year 1980 and the duo went famous with the name Shiv-Hari. They have worked together in many films like Darr in 1993, Faasle in 1985, Chandani in 1989, etc.
Apart from that Pandit Shivkumar Sharma has received many awards on national and international platforms including Padma Vibhushan in the year 2001, Padma Shri in 1991, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Gold Disc award for the film Faasle, Platinum disc for the album Call of the Valley, Platinum disc for Silsila, Pandit Chatur Lal Excellence Award in the year 2015, etc.
He has given many songs like The Glory of Strings, A sublime Trance, Raga Bhopali, Varsha, Raga Purya Kalyan, When Time Stood Still, Hypnotic Santoor, The Pioneer of Santoor, Raag Bilaskhani Todi, Feelings, The Flow of Times, Sangeet Sartaj, Vibrant music for Reiki, and many more. His name will always be remembered for the magnificent contribution he gave to the Indian classical industry.
