Naresh Sohal

Naresh Sohal (18 September 1939 – 30 April 2018) was an Indian-born composer of western classical music. He is the first composer in this tradition ever to make settings of texts in Sanskrit, Punjabi and Bengali (although he has also made many settings in English). He was the first composer ever to be offered an annual bursary by the Arts Council of Great Britain. Sohal was the first Non Resident Indian (NRI) ever to be awarded a Padma Shri (Order of the Lotus) by the Indian Government.Although Sohal wrote in the Western idiom, his extensive range of compositions shows a long-standing and serious commitment to the insights of Hindu philosophy.