Soulful Ragas on Sitar

A raga, a sound-scape- a journey into the world of Indian Classical Music rich in emotional diversity.

Neha is a Sitar Player from the Indore Beenkar Gharana who plays the Kharaj-Pancham Baaj. Since early childhood, Neha was exposed to the world of Indian Raga Music. Her father, Shri Vidur Mahajan, a proponent of the Beenkar Gharana trained her in her early years. She is presently training under Ustad Zunain Khan famous for the innovative Jafferkhani Baaj. She stayed in residence at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 2013 and undertook training in the Maihar tradition of Sitar playing from Shrimati Sashwatti Saha. Shri Ravi Gadgil of the Ittawah Gharana has been a mentor for Neha since 2015. She has thus studied the many facets of sitar playing from the perspectives of different gharanas. She has collaborated with Ricky Martin on his album Pausa for 'Me Sangre' which won the Latin Grammy and was also nominated for the Grammy awards in 2021. She was awarded the Sitarvadak Yuva Puraskar by the prestigious Ganvardhan Pune in May 2025. Neha also holds a master’s degree in philosophy. She is also an actress and worked in several Indian and international films.

Sitar is generally played by sitting down on a carpet. So if the audience is in chairs, it is important to have an elevated stage with a carpet to sit on.