Sitarist and music producer Rishab Rikhiram Sharma is bringing his ‘Sitar for Mental Health’ tour to Bengaluru on Sunday.

The 90-minute efficiency will embrace night ragas and some widespread regional, folks and movie numbers. “In Jaipur, I played ‘Kesariya balam’, and in Chennai, I performed a medley of A R Rahman’s songs. In Mumbai, I played a few Bollywood numbers,” he says. In Bengaluru, Sharma plans to carry out movie numbers like ‘Zara zara’, ‘Saathiya’, and ‘Jiya jale’, that are widespread throughout the nation.

Sharma is the youngest and final disciple of sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar. “When it comes to ragas, apart from playing them at their specific time, they also need to be played gently so they can be introspective. I will be performing the ‘rupak taal’ in the classical segment, after which I will perform some of my released and unreleased songs,” he provides.

A psychological well being advocate himself, Sharma refers to ‘raga chikitsa’ (raga remedy) “as something that has existed for centuries”. He believes it performs an vital half in psychological wellness. “I found this out due to my own struggle during the pandemic when I lost my grandfather. I went through depression and had anxiety attacks.I went for therapy, and discovered the healing power of music again,” he says.

During a remedy session in 2021, he was suggested coping mechanisms like exercising and going again to enjoying the sitar. “I realised how powerful the instrument was. Classical music is meditative and I wanted to give people an experience of it, while treating it as an outlet for myself. This is how I started sharing my music on social media platforms like Clubhouse and Instagram,” he says.

He took this tour all over the world final yr together with the US, Canada and South America. He additionally carried out a number of exhibits in India. The finish aim is to make folks conscious in regards to the significance of psychological well being, Sharma provides. The sitarist will probably be accompanied by Raghuraman R (on guitar) and Prashant Trivedi (on tabla).

Sitar for Mental Health, March 31, 7 pm, at Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts, Konanakunte. Tickets on-line