Baluji Shrivastav

Baluji Shrivastav, OBE, is one of the greatest instrumentalists India has produced excelling in sitar, surbahar, dilruba, pakhavaj and tabla.

Baluji was born in Usmanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Blind from birth he graduated from Lucknow University with a BA in Vocal Studies and Sitar going on to gain a further BA in Tabla and an MA in Sitar from Alahabad University. He moved to Europe in 1981.

As an Indian classical musician he has performed and recorded with some of the greatest tabla accompanists such as Anindo Chatterji and Ustad Fayaz Khan. He has composed and played for some of the best Indian classical and contemporary dancers such as Akram Khan. Baluji has written music for film, 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 oratorio Sohini and Mahival which he composed together with Oscar winner Dario Marianelli.

The outstanding characteristic of Baluji’s musical career is his versatility. His ability to concentrate on sound as his primary mode of interaction with the world has enriched his musicality and his courageous attitude to life is reflected in his approach to music. Firmly established in the Hindustani classical tradition he is happy to explore music in all its forms. As a result he has made an impact in contemporary music, with jazz, pop, and other forms of world music.

Baluji has founded the Baluji Music Foundation which is a registered charity. One of its aims is to encourage the participation of disabled people in music. To this purpose he has founded the Inner Vision Orchestra of blind and visually impaired musicians. He is also actively involved in the British Paraorchestra founded by Charles Hazelwood. They performed at the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012 with Coldplay.