Shantiprem

(31 August 1946 – 19 January 2023)

A very peaceful and loving man

by Nandin

Shantiprem was born in August 1946 and had a long career as a musician, composer and improviser. If you ever did any sannyas groups in Germany or elsewhere, you probably heard some of his music. His albums include, Music for Lovers, Open Spaces, Contemplations on Beauty. A Celtic Mirror Gospel, Best of Shantiprem, Klingende Mandalas (Ringing Mandalas) as well as guided meditations and more! We recorded five CDs together for Sohamji (formerly Samarpan) in a series called, One Melody.

As his name so aptly describes, Shanti (as we called him) was a very peaceful and loving man. He also had a great sense of humour. He once told me that when a teacher asked his young daughter what her parents did, she said that her father walked around upstairs and her mom checked on him! (That was the impression of a ten-year-old!) Upstairs was Shanti’s wonderful recording studio where I spent most of my time when I was there. We did indeed walk around in it, which is probably a lot of what got heard downstairs!

We also joked during a flood that threatened to reach his home that we would be long gone and that the creek by the side of the house would definitely outlast us. He had a clear view about our temporary stay on the planet.

Due to the wonders of modern technology, his music will live on! It was in his studio that I first started working with computer programs to mix music! Since I knew absolutely nothing about computers back then, he said he felt like a genius since I had to ask him to explain everything to me. As he was usually the one asking for explanations and was in no way a computer nerd, he found this extremely amusing.

On this video clip, it’s Shantiprem and me playing, with the voice of Sohamji:

Looking back, I’ve been so lucky to have met Osho and so many of his amazing disciples. Playing music and hanging out with Shantiprem was a special gift in my already fortunate life.

Shantiprem left his body after a long illness on 19 January 2023 in Munich, Germany. (shantiprem.com)

Nandin