Pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...

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, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

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 Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were no ...

Maihar gharana The Maihar Gharana or Maihar-Senia Gharana is a gharana or school of Hindustani classical music, a style of Indian classical music originating in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The school was formed by Allaudin Khan in the prin ...

. 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 Kishan Maharaj ji was born in Kabir Chaura, Benaras into a family ...

Music

Vikash performs

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

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, ...

, the

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 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 ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group Wise Guys. On initiation by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

music journalist and author

Joachim-Ernst Berendt Joachim-Ernst Berendt (20 July 1922 in Berlin – 4 February 2000 in Hamburg) was a German music journalist, author and producer specialized on jazz. Life Berendt's father, Ernst Berendt, was a Protestant pastor belonging to the Confessing ...

, Vikash participated in the crossover Jazz record "Raga" in 1996. The work was composed by

Patrick Bebelaar Patrick Josef Bebelaar (born 6 March 1971) is a German musician and composer. He is positioned as "inventive pianist between jazz and classical music". Life and work Music Bebelaar began piano lessons with Georg Ruby and Richie Beirach an ...

, 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 Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart is a foundation in Stuttgart, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1981 to foster international concerts and workshops, namely Musikfest Stuttgart, dedicated especially to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in relati ...

and premiered in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

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

and the

Yash Bharti Award Yash Bharati Award is the highest civilian award of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Instituted in 1994, it is awarded to those personalities whose contribution is remarkable in the field of literature, social work, medicine, film, science, journa ...

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

Artists Against Child Labor, 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