Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Vikash Maharaj (born 1 July 1957) is an Indian

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

player. In his childhood, he initially learnt to play the

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

and then discovered and studied the sarod as his preferred instrument.

Early life and background

Vikash was born in Varanasi in 1957 into a family of musicians(Banaras Gharana). He was instructed on the sarod by Rajesh Chandra Moitra of the school of Indian classical Maihar gharana. His formal schooling was complemented by lessons from his family including his uncle

Kishan Maharaj Pandit Kishan Maharaj (3 September 1923 – 4 May 2008) was an Indian tabla player who belonged to the Benares gharana of Hindustani classical music. Early life and background Maharaj was born to a Brahmin family of hereditary musicians in Kab ...

Music

Vikash performs

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and crossover between Indian music and Jazz. He tours and participates in international crossover festivals such as the

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

, the

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

festival in New Zealand or the International Leprosy Eradication Festival. During his tours through

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Vikash Maharaj was accompanied by his son and

player Prabhash Maharaj. Vikash has performed with musicians such as Prabhash Maharaj, Abhishek Maharaj, Joshua Geisler, Tom Bailey, Vishal Maharaj or the German

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

group Wise Guys. On initiation by German music journalist and author Joachim-Ernst Berendt, Vikash participated in the crossover Jazz record "Raga" in 1996. The work was composed by Patrick Bebelaar, and participating musicians were Patrick Bebelaar, Frank Kroll, Prabhash Maharaj and Subhash Maharaj. In a second cooperation with Bebelaar, Vikash Maharaj and his son Prabhash contributed to the crossover album "Point of View". "Point of View" was a commissioned composition by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and premiered in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

in 2001. He was awarded the Certificate of Honour (D.I.G. Germany) in 201

and the Yash Bharti Award by the Uttar Pradesh Government in 2014

Discography

* ''Music Ensemble of Benaras'' (LP) (1983) * ''Music Ensemble of Benaras'' (CD) (1984) * ''10 Years of Music Ensemble of Benaras'' (CD) (1989) * ''Raga'' (CD) (1996) * ''Best of Open Jazz Festival Stuttgart'' (DVD) (1998) * ''Pandit Vikash Maharaj'' (DVD) (2009) * ''Sapna'' (CD) (2001) * ''Point Of View'' (CD) (2003) * ''Vikash Maharaj'' (CD) (2006) * ''Path'' (CD) (2009) * ''Yaaraa'' (CD) (2010) * ''Holiwater'' (CD) (2012) * ''Maya''(CD) (2014) * ''Celebration'' (CD) (2015) * '' Maharaj Trio'' (2018)

Social activism

* Chairman "Bhagan Buddha Mahavidyalaya", Sarnath, Varanasi * Former member of United Nations Youth Organization * Former member of U.P. I.A.S. Association * Holiwater Project

References

External links

* Maharaj Trio Maharaj Trio
Holiwater Band (A Musical Group dedicated to protect Environment), INDIA/NEW ZEALAND

International

indianweekender.co.nz

Jazz Beacon Award Ceremony coverage by BeyondChron

LA yoga sitting down with tradition
* http://www.varanasi.org.in/pandit-vikas-maharaj {{DEFAULTSORT:Maharaj, Vikash Hindustani instrumentalists Living people Sarod players Musicians from Varanasi 1957 births 20th-century Indian musicians 21st-century Indian musicians