Finally, the wait is over. Musician Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, who is the youngest and last disciple of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, has announced his classical music tour, which will visit different parts of the country.
Titled ‘Sitar For Mental Health’, the 10-city tour presented and produced by Team Innovation will be held in New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Chandigarh between April and May of 2025. Excited about the tour, Rishab said in a press note, “We are witnessing a fascinating cultural shift. Ancient ragas are resonating with contemporary listeners in profoundly new ways. Classical music isn’t just surviving in the digital age; it’s thriving. Young people are increasingly drawn to the transformative power of these age-old melodies, recognizing the emotional depth and resonance they offer, often absent in much of today’s music.”
Mohit Bijlani, Founder of Team Innovation, underscored the tour’s cultural significance. “We stand at the threshold of a transformative chapter in India’s musical history. Classical music has transcended traditional boundaries, evolving into a dynamic force within mainstream culture. At Team Innovation Cultural, we understand that today’s audiences crave authentic and meaningful experiences. This tour embodies that fusion of tradition and innovation, demonstrating the enduring power and relevance of classical music in the 21st century,” Mohit Bijlani said. Rishab Rikhiram Sharma “belongs to a world-renowned family of musical instrument makers”, a business started by his grandfather in 1920, in Lahore of undivided India. He picked up the instrument at the age of 10.
In 2022, he was invited to perform his ‘Sitar For Mental Health’ set in the then US President Joe Biden’s annual Diwali celebrations. He even made it to the President’s Instagram account. His admiration within the music industry has been significantly notable that he became the first sitarist of his generation to give a solo performance at the NGR Stadium in Houston Texas that attracted a live audience of 60,000+ people and 500+ million at-home live viewers. He also performed at the Woodstock 50 Reunion (50 years of Woodstock Festival), paying tribute to the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar.
