Rishab Rikhiram Sharma leads groundbreaking 10-city sitar tour for mental wellness

As India basks in a vibrant renaissance of live music, where classical melodies are now finding mainstream appreciation, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma — the youngest and final disciple of the iconic Pandit Ravi Shankar— alongside his family’s celebrated Rikhi Ram instrument legacy, announces a groundbreaking initiative: India’s largest-ever classical music national tour, under a brand-new venture, Team Innovation Cultural.

Titled Sitar for Mental Health, this immersive, multi-sensory 10-city tour is set to redefine how we view classical music’s relationship with contemporary well-being. Produced by Team Innovation, the tour will travel across the country, gracing cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Chandigarh between April and May of 2025. Designed to captivate audiences of all ages, the family-friendly experience promises to bring together the wisdom of ancient ragas with the mindfulness of today’s wellness practices.

This tour arrives at the perfect moment, coinciding with a remarkable surge in classical music’s popularity among millennials and Gen Z, as evidenced by recent streaming trends. Rishab, whose musical journey spans continents, seamlessly blends the ageless beauty of Indian classical music with modern wellness techniques. After a successful run across the US and Canada, this ambitious India tour represents the most expansive presentation of Sitar For Mental Health to date.

Reflecting on the cultural shift, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma shares, “We’re experiencing a fascinating awakening. Ancient ragas are now resonating with contemporary listeners in deeply transformative ways. Classical music is not only surviving in the digital age, it’s thriving. Today’s youth are discovering the emotional depth that these timeless melodies offer, something that’s often missing in much of modern music.”

With each 120-minute performance, audiences will experience a re-imagined concert—where the sitar’s ethereal tones intertwine with innovative sound healing techniques, crafting a unique atmosphere of reflection and peace. The tour invites all to explore the profound therapeutic potential of classical music, with a focus on mental health, offering an emotional and deeply moving experience that resonates long after the final note.