Biography
Born in Bombay, Brij Narayan draws luminous tones from the sarod. As the son of the influential sarangi player Pandit Ram Nasrain and the nephew of the famed tabla player Chatur Lal, he has elevated the instrument to unprecedented heights of technical command.
His training started in childhood. From the age of seven he studied sarod under his father, later spending brief periods in Delhi with Ustad Ali Akbar Kahn and with his uncle. Following his uncle’s death in 1965, Narayan returned to Bombay and resumed lessons with his father.
That disciplined routine produced early recognition. At fifteen he earned the President’s gold medal as one of the youngest musicians to finish first in an All-India Radio competition. After completing his degree at Bombay University in 1972, he devoted himself entirely to performance. His recordings have included tabla accompaniment from leading artists such as Zakir Hussain.
His training started in childhood. From the age of seven he studied sarod under his father, later spending brief periods in Delhi with Ustad Ali Akbar Kahn and with his uncle. Following his uncle’s death in 1965, Narayan returned to Bombay and resumed lessons with his father.
That disciplined routine produced early recognition. At fifteen he earned the President’s gold medal as one of the youngest musicians to finish first in an All-India Radio competition. After completing his degree at Bombay University in 1972, he devoted himself entirely to performance. His recordings have included tabla accompaniment from leading artists such as Zakir Hussain.