Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma, a sitarist and music producer from the Rikhi Ram lineage of instrument makers, has a separate fan base among music lovers. From being the first sitarist to perform solo at the White House to advocating music as a therapeutic tool for emotional well-being, the musician carries forward a culturally rich classical tradition. He has, however, often called himself the last and youngest disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar – a claim recently opposed by the legendary musician’s daughter, Anoushka Shankar.
Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma has often revealed in past interviews how a conversation with Pandit Ravi Shankar marked a turning point in his musical journey. Nullifying his claims, however, Anoushka Shankar mentioned that he was never formally a disciple of her father. “Rishab is really talented, and he is clearly speaking to people in a really wonderful way. I think there is some misunderstanding about his guruship,” Anoushka told Humans Of Bombay.
Although Anoushka praised Rishabh’s talents, she clarified, “He learnt very intensively with someone very dear to me, one of my father’s senior disciples, Parimal Sadaphal, and he had a couple of lessons with my father, very informally, with Parimal uncle also in the room.”
“We knew him from childhood because he was the son of our instrument maker, Sanjay Rikiram Sharma. So somehow that has gone, blown up into some story of him being his last disciple or the youngest disciple, which isn’t true. But he is super talented and deserves all success with or without that story,” she continued.