Baluji Shrivastav OBE, born in Usmapur in U.P., is one of the greatest instrumentalists/composers India has produced excelling in sitar, surbahar, dilruba, pakhavaj and tabla. Apart from his initial instruction at blind school he is mainly self-taught and his success has been due to a combination of natural talent, hard work and passion for music. While still a child he graduated from Lucknow University with a B.A. in Vocal Studies and Sitar going on to gain a further B.A. in Tabla and an M.A. in Sitar from Alahabad University. His quest for knowledge has dispelled many of the myths that surround the process of mastering Indian classical music. As a result he stands outside the conventional establishment of Indian music, often struggling against prejudice, to take his place amongst the greatest in this field. He has performed and recorded across genres with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Coldplay,Massive Attack, Shakira, Ustad Fayaz Khan, Zakir Hussein and Akram Khan. He has written music for films, theatre and television and has pioneered the contribution that composers with an Indian classical perspective can make to contemporary music, through his series of commissioned works including : “Portraits of the Dark”, “Sitar-Guitar Suites”, “Indian In London”, ”Song Celestial”, “Taal Zindagi” and the world’s only Urdu opera Sohini and Mahival which he composed together with Oscar Winner Dario Marianelli. He has campaigned for the recognition of the contribution of blind people in society, and has established the world famous Inner Vision Orchestra of blind musicians. He was brought to teach in Europe in 1981, moving to UK in 1983, where he has worked tirelessly as an ambassador of Indian musical culture. He was awarded Non Resident Indian (NRI) of the year for Arts and Culture from Times Group India 2017, and World Peace and Prosperity Foundation Award at The House of Lords for exceptional services both nationally and internationally to mankind.

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