ABOUT
Dr. Kanada Narahari - Sitar Virtuoso
Dr. Kanada Narahari (Kanada Raghava) was born in Manchikeri, a small village in the Western Ghats, Karnataka, India, to his illustrious parents, Vidvan Narahari Keshava Bhat and Sumangala Bhat. His father, Vidvan Narahari Keshava Bhat, is a renowned Sanskrit scholar, poet, and author of many works in Sanskrit on theatre plays and Yakshagana, a form of traditional performing art.
Therefore, it is not surprising that young Kanada Narahari would have been exposed to Indian performing arts, music, and literature at a very tender age. When he was just nine years old, he enrolled to study Carnatic classical vocal with Vidushi Shreedevi Aravind. After spending some years under Vidushiji, he began to develop an interest in Hindustani Classical music and was particularly attracted to the Sitar.
This then began a new journey. At the exciting age of 22, he initially spent a year under Subrahmanya Hegade. He found solace at the feet of his mentor and teacher, Pandit Sanjeev Korthi.
Of course, while this incredible journey evolved, Dr. Narahari qualified as an Ayurvedic Doctor with BAMS degrees. This then allowed him to experiment with the healing properties of Classical music and began to infuse music into his therapeutic practice.
In order to do this effectively, he developed an academic interest in all genres of music and today is widely recognized as a prominent music therapist.
Today, he has evolved into a highly accomplished sitar player, having performed widely in India, Nepal, and South Africa.
Dr. Kanada Narahari is currently based in Durban, South Africa.
