'The Future Of Indian Classical Music Is Very Bright': Santoor Maestro Rahul Sharma

Rahul Sharma's performance has the capacity to surprise. That's not unusual for someone of his caliber. He would, however, like to credit it to the constant need to reinvent himself.

"As an artist, one needs to keep reinventing oneself with the changing times," he mentions in an interview with The Free Press Journal.

The santoor maestro is set to perform at Santoor Serenity Healing Harmonies, a fusion live concert and fundraiser for the upcoming 26th edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2026.

The charity fundraiser is scheduled for October 12 at 6:30 pm at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai. It is helmed by the Kala Ghoda Association and Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in collaboration with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS).

The High Calibre Ensemble at Healing Harmonies

At the concert, along with Rahul, there is Ojas Adhiya on tabla, Vinayak Pol on drums, Avinash Chandrachud on keyboard, and Amit Gargil on bass guitar. "The tracks have been chosen over some thought, and hopefully the people also resonate with it and enjoy it."

Rahul has performed for Kala Ghoda earlier, but this time it's going to be a charity fundraiser. "It's beautiful to be a part of a concert like this, which is curated for two hours, where I get to present my journey and connect it with heritage and culture," he says. "I'm excited about doing the live concert and am looking forward to having a great audience."

A Glimpse Into The 2-hour Concert

Rahul has been playing for 25-30 years now, and Santoor Serenity Healing Harmonies will feature, in bits and parts, his albums and collaborations. Most importantly, it will feature the santoor, which comes from the valley of Kashmir, and was brought into Indian classical music by his father — the legacy continues with Rahul. Apart from that, it will also feature the folk from the region of Jamun and Kashmir.

"When I worked with Richard Clayderman earlier, we recreated a song from The Beatles. With Kenny G and Amitabh Bachchan's voice, we did Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum... We will be doing a bit of that as well, which are familiar songs, as well as bringing the audience to new aspects of our music. It will range from different genres — Indian classical to fusion, and even a bit of jazz," elaborates Rahul.

"The santoor has a very soothing sound, and that's the reason the concert is also called Healing Harmonies. It's about giving people some element where stress is taken away. Fusion music can be melodic and is not just speed-oriented. But the idea is to combine all the elements in such a way that it kind of sounds nice and exciting for the audience to forget their mobile phones. Even if that happens, we are thrilled."

Will AI Ever Replace Indian Classical Music?

Reminiscing about the good old days, watching his dad Pandit Shivkumar Sharma perform on stage, Rahul adds, "When my father, Zakir Hussain and several greats like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia would play on stage, even after 70 years of performance, they would still have that passion and childlike quality. You'd see them enjoying the same raga the way they used to years ago."

For him, social media makes a lot of difference, but he has apprehensions about it. As for Indian classical music, he feels the future is very bright.

"If your music has repeat value as an artist and you have genuine fans, people will come to your concert. Your body of work needs to be interesting, as long as it's not just one genre that you are doing. One will stay relevant as long as you are true to your music, creativity and composing skills."

Rahul believes that composing is a knack. "Because you can learn an instrument from a guru, but you can't teach another individual how to compose music," he explains. "AI might replace film music, and it can come up with lyrics and songs in a minute. But instrumental music and Indian classical music will stay."

Post-Pandemic and Beyond: Why A Live Music Concert Is Still Relevant

Music fans have always appreciated live concerts with a fiery passion. As a musician, Rahul travels for four months of the year, performing across the globe. "Live concerts will always stay. I don't think AI will ever replace that aspect," he says.

"During COVID, we were at times playing concerts from home that were broadcast on the Internet. But that's all forgotten now.

"People come to see the artist live and that's where the fun is, especially in our kind of music where the flow is spontaneous, and we keep improvising along with the audience's reactions."

The santoor and electronica come together in Rahul's new album, Tree of Tranquility, with Grammy-winning artist Deep Forest, who is the pioneer of electronica.

"I have been playing across festivals, and I think music appeals to all generations. Instrumental music, which is not primarily vocal singing, appeals universally, across generations, as it has a different appeal."

Rahul's Camaraderie With Late Ustad Zakir Hussain

During his growing-up years, Rahul would see many stalwarts coming home to learn from his father, and one among them was Ustad Zakir Hussain.

According to Rahul, "You had to just be in a room with Ustad Zakir Hussain to see the energy of everyone rise. The minute he was out of that room, the energy levels would drop. He had such an amazing vibe and was an inspiring person to be around.

"Zakir Hussain started off his music career with my father when he was around 16. He would come home and play with dad. I have seen him growing up while I was growing up.

"My first concert with him was in 1996. Since then, we have done a couple of tours in the US and several other countries. It was amazing travelling with him, and I remember doing a tour, where both of us would just travel in a car. He would drive and I'd be the navigator. We drove from Boston to Adminton, Canada. It was a seven-hour drive and performed in the evening. There are so many memories and so much to learn from a person like him. His last concert was with me in the US just last year."

On Missing His Dad But Continuing The Legacy With His 11-YO

"I miss my dad at times," Rahul admits. "He was so incredible as a musician and person as well. He was a purist who saw the santoor in a particular way. He knew how he wanted to showcase it, bringing out the purity and its true classical essence."

Rahul's father late Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was the pioneer of the santoor. From a little-known folk instrument, he brought it to the limelight, creating almost a language for it, which was not known before that.

"I remember him listening to a rock-styled album of mine called Rebel," Rahul reminisces. "He enjoyed it. Dad was never of the opinion that, as a guru, he would want me to only stick to Indian classical music."

The best advice Rahul has probably received from his father is that "everyone has a place or spot for themselves in this world". "That is probably destiny," he explains, further elaborating on the advice.

"As long as you are true to your art form, the world will be there with you. You will have fans. You don't have to chase money or a position. Dad was very content and a yogi in that sense. I was lucky to have someone like him the the family, who is a father and guru to me as well."

Rahul's son is learning classical music as well. "He's also a budding cricketer and is learning the santoor from me," says the proud father. "The legacy continues. My dad used to teach him earlier, now I do."

The SECRET To Becoming A Musician Who Actually Makes It

"Travel across different countries inspires me, so does nature. Sometimes there are interesting ideas thrown around by my wife, Barkha or my son, who is 11, that inspire me," says Rahul.

"It's also a spiritual experience because Indian classical music has deeply evolved over the years. When I'm sitting by myself and practicing for hours in my music room, that is the time when ideas come up. There is a lot of focus required for that and discipline. But there is that moment, when suddenly something strikes and you tell yourself, 'Wow, this is interesting'. Until you go ahead, try and experiment with an idea, you'll not know if it can be a part of your music or not," he shares.

Success doesn't come overnight, and it requires "dedication, discipline and focus," says Rahul. However, what is most important is to find the right guru.

"If you're learning an instrument, it takes an eternity to master it. It's a dedication of a lifetime. If you stick to that, you'll see the pleasure, the success, the enjoyment and the satisfaction."

Visit the NCPA website (click here for link) for more details on Santoor Serenity Healing Harmonies. Or click this link to book tickets.

Published on: Friday, October 10, 2025, 03:34 PM IST