1 week Ago By Aman Wadhwa
Rishab Rikhiram Sharma mesmerised Delhi on Sunday evening, April 6, 2025, as he began his Sitar for Mental Heath India tour, produced and presented by Team Innovation, at the Indira Gandhi Arena in the national capital. The sitarist captivated 14,000 people with his soul-stirring music for more than two hours at the sold-out show in the biggest indoor stadium in the country. The concert began with Rishab inviting the audiences for a meditative exercise before he played Raag Tilak Kamod and Raag Shyam Kalyan on his sitar.
He masterfully combined the two ragas and presented Raag Tilak Shyam, his tribute to his guru Pandit Ravi Shankar. His second tribute to his mentor made the whole stadium swell with pride as he performed Saare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Humara, Muhammad Iqbal's Urdu poem set to its most popular tune by the Bharat Ratna awardee Pandit Ravi Shankar. Rishab then delighted the listeners with his beloved composition Shiv Kailash.
The sitarist also unveiled his unreleased new composition, a spiritual melody inspired by the ghats of Varanasi. Next, he surprised the audiences with his goosebumps-inducing recreation of Kal Ho Naa Ho and Tumhi Dekho Naa, both coincidentally composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, written by Javed Akhtar, and starring Shah Rukh Khan. He added his own flavour to the Hindi film tracks with soothing strings of his sitar.
Concluding his excellent show, Rishab left everyone speechless with his vocal prowess in Chanakya and Tandavam, his own rendition of Shiv Tandav Stotram. The Indira Gandi Arena reverberated with the thundering standing ovation the crowd gave him. As the concert ended, it was a sight to behold to see thousands of people, across different age groups from senior citizens and young couples to millenials and Gen Z, mesmerised with the Indian classical music.
And the whole credit goes to Rishab, who has splendidly blended classical sitar with contemporary influences in a unique and haunting musical experience. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishab Rikhiram Sharma (@rishabsmusic) After the national capital, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma will perform in nine other cities - including Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Indore, Bengalure, and Kolkata - and continue to spread peace with his charismatic music in his biggest Indian tour, aptly titled Sitar for Mental Health. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience!.
