Why sitarist Rishab Sharma wears mehndi for every performance
Sitarist Rishab Sharma hugged Mehndi as part of his stage appearance, combining the tradition with innovation. The young starist shares how he enhances the performance aesthetics when breaking the stereotypes.
26 -year -old composer Rishab Sharma, legendary sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar’s youngest disciple opened about henna design on his hand. Bharat Today Conclave Session One Sitar is born On Friday.
Sharma, admitting that he has never tried to preserve that image of a specific Indian classical musician, “said,” I just try to be. My music as a person I am a reflection as a person. I listen to hip-hop, rap, I hear everything. I ever listen to classical music. “
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Sharma said, “Mehndi on my hands, or whatever I wear, I just try to add a little bit.”
The young musician explained that he thought of obtaining henna on his hands to increase the visual experience for his audience.
Rishab Sharma shared, “When I was applying Mehndi, I was not thinking about breaking a stereotype. My whole idea behind it was, ‘How do I increase the experience for people playing me?’ My hands are often focal points.
He continued, “Therefore, I started researching various options which are not harmful to the skin and have landed on Jagua juice, which is like black ink. But it stains everywhere, and I stained it everywhere, and I got it a little angry after trying it one or two times. I was on the shore, thinking, thinking, ‘I should do mehndi or not?” ,
Rishab initially suspected with conservatism that only women only get henna in their hands and “it is not considered masculine.” However, he eventually decided to embrace the tradition.
“Mehndi has a lot of health benefits. It is good for your skin, and it is designed in a certain way if it is designed, it looks good. So, I sat down with some designers and made my signature tattoo. I change it for every show.
Rishab has produced acclaimed works such as Chanakya, inspired by Veer Ras, and has gained significant traction through his social media performance.
In 2022, he performed a single performance at the first Diwali celebrations hosted by the White House and later entertained Indian athletes at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
