Mumbai — Among the handful of artists in India carrying forward truly rare musical instruments, Pandit Naviin Gandharv occupies a singular place. As the leading exponent of the Belabaharr, a bowed instrument that exists almost nowhere else in Indian classical music, Gandharv has spent more than three decades building a career that bridges an inherited family legacy with his own artistic innovation.
Born on 20 December 1976 in Nevri Village, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, Pandit Naviin Gandharv comes from a family with deep and unusual musical roots. He belongs to the fifth generation of a lineage of Sarangi players and vocalists, a heritage that inspired him to continue the legacy despite a series of challenges along the way. Though he began formally training in music at the age of 16, he was able to grasp its essence quickly, something he credits to the musical genes running through his family.
Gandharv’s musical inheritance runs through both sides of his family. His paternal grandfather, Pandit Kashiram Gandharv, was a celebrated Sarangi maestro, while his maternal grandfather, Pandit Mansingh, was accomplished across Sarangi, Tabla, Harmonium and vocal music. Growing up surrounded by this concentration of classical training, Gandharv absorbed an unusually broad musical foundation before he had even begun to specialise in the instrument that would come to define his career.
His Tabla training began under Pandit Vishwanath Mishra, and he later trained under the legendary Ustad Allarakha, an association that shaped his rhythmic foundation before he went on to specialise further. That specialisation was also shaped by years of listening to legendary artists such as Pandit Ram Narayan and Ustad Rais Khan, among many others, including his father and Guru, Pandit Babulal Gandharv, a Top Grade Artist of All India Radio, who in 1980 invented the Belabaharr — the rare bowed instrument that Pandit Naviin Gandharv has since dedicated his life to mastering and popularising.
The Belabaharr is not simply another addition to the Indian classical instrument family; it represents a distinct act of musical invention. Combining expressive qualities associated with both the Sarangi and the Violin, and layering in lyrical nuances reminiscent of the human singing voice, the instrument occupies a sonic space of its own. Few instruments in Indian classical music carry such a direct, single-family lineage from invention to present-day performance, and Pandit Naviin Gandharv has spent decades ensuring that lineage continues.
Through years of dedicated performance and experimentation, he has introduced the Belabaharr’s distinctive voice to prestigious cultural platforms across India and internationally, positioning himself as both custodian and ambassador of an instrument that exists almost nowhere outside his family’s tradition.
While the Belabaharr defines much of his public identity at present, Pandit Naviin Gandharv is also an accomplished Tabla soloist, bringing melody and rhythm together with what listeners and critics have described as exceptional versatility. His musical range extends well beyond a single genre, spanning Hindustani Classical Music, Ghazal, Bhajan, Folk, Sufi, Fusion, EDM collaborations, Film Music and various regional musical traditions.
This range allows him to move fluidly between an extended, meditative Belabaharr recital and an intricate, rhythmically complex and authentic Tabla solo, often within the same performance season, reflecting an artist equally comfortable in contemplative and high-energy musical settings.
Over more than 30 years, Pandit Naviin Gandharv has performed at some of India’s most recognised cultural institutions and venues, including NCPA, ICCR, NMACC, industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia, industrialist Gautam Adani’s Shantivan, Essar Group events, Lakmé Fashion Week, IMG, St. Xavier’s College and Sanskriti Upvan, alongside numerous other prestigious festivals and events.
One of the defining moments of his career came when he was invited to perform during the welcome ceremony for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, hosted by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. The performance drew widespread appreciation and was subsequently shared across prominent social media and news platforms, introducing the Belabaharr’s distinctive sound to an international audience far beyond India’s classical music circles.
Beyond his personal performance career, Pandit Naviin Gandharv founded the Anuraaj Classical Band with a larger artistic vision in mind — bringing the richness of Indian classical traditions into contemporary musical spaces while creating opportunities for young and emerging musicians to perform, learn and grow alongside established artists.
Through this initiative, Gandharv has worked to demonstrate that Indian musical heritage can remain deeply rooted in tradition while continuing to evolve, inspire and reach new generations of listeners. His broader vision extends beyond performance itself, toward building a respected global platform for Indian arts, artists and musical traditions to be recognised on the world stage.
What distinguishes Pandit Naviin Gandharv’s story is the direct, unbroken thread running from his grandfather’s Sarangi mastery, through his father’s invention of the Belabaharr, to his own decades of performance and guiding young, enthusiastic musicians. Few contemporary Indian classical musicians can point to a family history so closely tied to the actual creation of the instrument they play, and Gandharv has built his entire public identity around honouring and extending that inheritance.
As he continues to perform across India’s leading cultural institutions and mentor a new generation of musicians through Anuraaj Classical Band, Pandit Naviin Gandharv remains one of the clearest examples of how a single family’s musical vision can grow, over five generations, into a distinct and enduring artistic tradition.
Pandit Naviin Gandharv’s next major public appearance is at St. Xavier’s College for “MKP — Malhar Ke Prakaar,” a special Indian classical music programme presented by the Indian Music Group (IMG) in Mumbai on 12 September 2026, beginning at 5:00 PM. The evening explores the many emotional expressions of the monsoon through the Malhar ragas.
The programme will open with a vocal performance by Shri Viraj Joshi, grandson of Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and son of Shri Shrinivas Joshi, accompanied by Shri Madhav Limaye on the Harmonium and Shri Mandar Puranik on the Tabla, followed by a Belabaharr recital by Pandit Naviin Gandharv, who will be accompanied by the promising and highly talented Shri Soham Gorane on the Tabla, a promising talent and disciple of Pandit Yogesh Samsi.
The programme will be held at St. Xavier’s College, located at 5, Mahapalika Marg, opposite Metro Cinema, Dhobi Talao, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001. [1]
Those interested in following Pandit Naviin Gandharv’s performances, recordings and updates on the Belabaharr can connect with him through his official Instagram page, or reach out directly for bookings and enquiries:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naviingandharvbelabaharr?stkn=cWxnajJ2OTYwdXR6
Contact: 9820207827
Email: belabaharr@gmail.com
[1] St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai: https://xaviers.edu/
Pandit Naviin Gandharv is a fifth-generation Indian classical musician, celebrated Belabaharr exponent, distinguished Tabla soloist and founder of Anuraaj Classical Band. Born in Nevri Village, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, he carries forward a musical legacy that spans his grandfather Pandit Kashiram Gandharv, his maternal grandfather Pandit Mansingh, and his father and Guru, Pandit Babulal Gandharv, inventor of the Belabaharr. Over a three-decade career, he has performed at leading Indian cultural institutions and international platforms, including a performance during the welcome ceremony for the UK Prime Minister hosted by the Prime Minister of India.
