Sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma brought his nationwide Sitar for Mental Health tour to a stirring close in New Delhi, performing to a packed crowd at DDA Grounds, Dwarka. The grand finale was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, marking a rare political presence at a live classical concert.
Rishab Rikhiram Sharma performed in Delhi on Sunday
Calling Delhi “home,” Sharma told the audience, “There’s something special about performing here. The love I feel here is unmatched,” he added.
For the final performance of his tour, Sharma wore a gold-gilded armour layered over a tailored black bandh gala adorned with gold-plated buttons, styled with a fluid dhoti and complemented by full-sleeve mehendi on his hands.
The evening blended mindfulness with music — opening with a guided breathing session and soon moved to ragas like Bihaag, Kedar and Shyam Kalyan, before he played renditions of pop numbers on his electric sitar. In a conscious move, Sharma skipped fireworks, underlining his stance on Delhi’s air quality concerns.
Among the highlights was his sitar-led Dhurandhar medley, seamlessly weaving in samples from Dhurandhar’s FA9LA while paying homage to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with insets from Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal, which drew one of the loudest reactions of the night, alongside originals like Shankara and Shiv Kailash.
His crossover segment — including the Harry Potter x Game of Thrones theme — sparked massive crowd engagement, as did reimagined Bollywood tracks like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Zara Zara. The set closed with Tandavam and Venkateswara, earning him a standing ovation.