Meet Rishab Sharma, Delhi Born Sitarist Championing Music For Mental Who Have Performed At The White House
Rishab Sharma: The younger generation is often labeled uncultured for their diverse taste in art. Among them is one youngster changing the perspective of the world on the rich Indian music and its heritage. As a social media user, it is rare to not have seen him on your reel lost in the melodies of the sitar erupting from his fingertips of the sitar string. It is Rishab Sharma, a Delhi-based sitar player who has made a name for himself as a renowned sitar player, with a strong advocacy of the healing nature of music. He is young, talented, and empathetic with vocal support for the role of music in improving mental health.
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Learn all about him, his love for sitar, exceptional milestones, and the boastful legacy he hails from.
Who is Rishab Sharma?
A musician born in the family of music instrument makers, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma is a New York-based sitarist, music producer, composer, and mental health advocate born and raised in Delhi into the Rikhi Ram family of luthiers. With the legacy of Rikhi Ram Musical Co of Delhi, Rishab found his solace in the strings of Sitar at the tender age of 10. Call him a natural born or talented, he is a music prodigy who boasts of being the youngest and final disciple under the tutelage of Pt. Ravi Shankar after he caught his eyes in 2011 when Rishab made his debut that year at Delhi’s India Islamic Cultural Centre
Mental Health Advocate
Rishab is a firm believer in the healing power of music. He has been an advocate for mental health. In 2020, he founded his project Sitar for Mental Health to use the therapeutic abilities of rhythmic melodies to soothe and heal.
His initiative took him to the corners of India, the US, Canada, and South America on tour performing for an audience of more than 60,000 at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Career Milestones
Sharma takes immense pride in being the first and only solo Indian classical musician to perform at the White House at the invitation to perform for President Biden’s Diwali event in 2022 in the presence of former American President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and VP Kamala Harris.
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In 2024, he was invited to the Paris Olympics closing ceremony to perform for the Indian athletes by the Indian Government. He was a part of Spotify’s project Kautilya in 2023 as a composer and director. His list of achievements also includes being featured on Indian reality shows Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega and Hindustan Ke Hunarbaaz.
Through his vibrant and melodious social media, he has reached millions of people and continues to be a force to be reckoned with in Indian classic music.
