Pandit Brij Narayan

Pandit Brij Narayan is probably the finest sarod player of the younger generation. Born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on April 25, 1952, to none other than the greatest ever sarangi player, Pandit Ram Narayan, Brij Narayan was fascinated by the sarod or rather fell in love with it at age four, at a concert by the great maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan or `Khansahib'. He started his music lessons as a toddler under his father Pt Ram Narayan and his uncle Pandit Chatur Lal, the tabla wizard. (His keen sense of rhythm is attributed to his association with the latter). At age eight, Brij Narayan started learning the techniques of the sarod from USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN. His first public performance was at age 12 in the Sapru House, Delhi, Accompanied on the tabla by Chaturlalji. This concert was attended by the likes of Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt Ravi Shankar and of course, Pandit Ram Narayan. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan left India for foreign shores and young Brij Narayan learnt music from his father, his true guru. It was 1967, fifteen year old Brij Narayan stunned the nation, being adjudged the finest instrumentalist if the All India Radio Music Competition and was Unanimously named SCHOLAR of the Bharatiya Sangeet Sabha. The same year Brij Narayan went to Afghanistan as a ICCR cultural delegate. In his European debut in 1972, Pt. Brij Narayan mesmerised the german and international audience at the Munich Olympics, probably the first Indian Musician to perform solo at the Olympics. Since then, he has made extensive tours of Europe, the USA, Russia, The Middle East, Asia and Australia. He also has to his credit many cassettes, LPs and CDs. Most major music concerts of Indian Classical Music are incomplete without Panditji. Pt. Brijnarayanji is also an accomplished teacher. Among his students are teenager Arnab Chakrabarty who has just made his performance debut in the US.

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