Sitar Giriraj

Shri Giriraj is an eminent personality in the world of sitar music. As the one of the senior  most representative of  'Vilayatkhani' style of sitar playing, he excel is all aspects of sitar playing and employs his medium with uncanny ease and skill. He is one of the senior most 'ganda bandh' discipline of sitar maestro Ustad Vilakay Khan Saheb. He was initiated into sitar music at a very tender age of nine years by his father late Pandit Ram Gopal of Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh). He also learnt vocal music from his maternal uncle Shri Sita Saran Singh of Luknow who belongs to famous Agra gharana in vocal music. He is famous for his sensitive and emotional presentation of ragas and folk dhuns. His playing is perfectly blended with vocal style and complicated sitar technique. He prominently figures in major music festivals all over the country and has several opportunities to perform in various spontaneous applause from music critics and audiences in India and abroad. He has to his credit many audio and video cassettes, gramophone records and compact discs.

Source: Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan Souvenir, All India Radio, 1991

See Also:

• Indian Music -- Miscellaneous topics on Indian music explore musical instruments, styles, musicians, and other Indian musical trivia