Web Stories‘My Sitar Broke An Hour Before A Show’: Rishab Rikhiram Sharma On His Faith In Lord Shiva
Growing up in a family of music, the famous sitarist and singer Rishab Rikhiram Sharma was destined to create magic. While everyone wants to look cool with a guitar nowadays, the 26-year-old singer took up the sitar to break the stereotype. He mastered the art under the mentorship of Pandit Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist and composer. Some of his best known songs are Shankara, Shiv Kailash, and Chanakya reflecting his devotion towards Lord Shiva. But do you know what made him a believer?
In an episode of AfterHours With AAE, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma had a candid conversation with the host Bani G. Anand and here’s what he said.
“My mom taught me the song, Shiv Kailasho Ke Wasi”
When talking about the most famous bhajan, Shiv Kailasho Ke Wasi, Rishab attributed the success behind its virality to his mom. He said, “My grandmother and my mom, everyone in Chamba, where my mom is from, used to sing this and we spent a lot of time growing up in Chamba. All the credit goes to her because she taught me the song. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known it.”
Bani and Rishab recounted one of his spectacular performances at Siri Fort Auditorium, Delhi. The show was special to him as he sang Shiv Kailash with his mother on stage. “We barely rehearsed, we were backstage. And I was like, ‘Okay, mumma, I’ll sing one line, you sing one line and we both together sing…’ It was a very impromptu thing, wasn’t perfect, never is. But it was memorable”, he added.
“It just felt like some divine calling”
Bani asked Rishab about his connection to Lord Shiva, as he always says, “Mahadev ki kripa,” after every accomplishment. Rishab Rikhiram Sharma recalled the incidents in his life that guided him in that direction. He explained, “My mom follows Guruji (Nirmal Singh Maharaj). So, he is also considered an avatar of Shiv. So, Shiv Ji has been there but I’ve just felt very protected by him recently.” Rishab didn’t know what drove him to Mahadev as he said, “I feel like this was all part of his plan because I don’t know why I wanted to make the Tandavam in college.”
Rishab further shared his learning process of Tandavam while he studied at The Queen’s College, England. “I memorised it. I went to this Panditji in Queen’s. I learned how to pronounce each and every word. And I just felt so powerful when I used to sing it. It just felt like some divine calling”, he said.
“It was all part of His plan”
While talking about his relationship with Mahadev, Rishab said, “He’s (Lord Shiva) just like pulling me in different places and just showing up in my life in different forms.”
Rishab felt a stronger spiritual connection when his hard work bore fruits. He shared, “After I released Shiv Kailash, things just blew out of proportion and there’s so much abundance that I have received. And then I was called to Pashupatinath Temple and that plan was also going on for two years and it finally happened because He wanted it to happen. I went there, I played for the aarti, I went to places that people don’t have access to. Yeah. And He let me in like that. So, I’m very grateful for that.”
“I have never broken my sitar before but then this happened”
The sitar maestro is a huge devotee of Lord Shiva, as reflected in his craft. But do you know what surprised yet convinced him of Mahadev’s divine presence in his life? Rishab shared an incident that happened before he was to perform at Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal.
He explained, “I went to His temple and I had a fight with my parents, you know, some little conflict. And my father wasn’t planning on coming to Nepal with me. But my grandmother had an intuition that you (Rishab’s father) should go, it is his first show, so you should go.” Rishab left for the airport while his father booked the next flight to Kathmandu.
When he came back from the temple to get ready for the show, he recalled that his sitar was resting on his outfit. Rishab said, “I held the sitar, like this and pulled the outfit from under the sitar and my sitar just slipped from my hands. And this has never happened to me. I’ve never broken my sitar. Thank God, Mahadev, like this is the only time it happens. But I was like speechless. I was like, wow, I’m supposed to rehearse right now and my sitar is broken.” Rishab got overwhelmed by the situation and called his father.
“When he (Rishab’s father) came to my room and he super glued it and, you know, he did whatever he could. Worked his magic and the sitar was just like how it was before”, Rishab said. Realising his mistake, he said “I feel like it was just like Mahadev trying to tell me that you are nothing without your parents. You know, those who have brought you here, treat them with respect and dignity. And you know, your father is a master craftsman. So, respect him like that. So, I was immediately humbled.”
Watch the full episode here.
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