Born in India, but raised in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, Nihar has had the privilege of being exposed to the world of Indian Classical music, particularly tabla from a young age. Developing his art, he has accompanied several renowned artists, Ustad Zunain Khan on sitar, Ustad Raffiq Khan, famous ghazal singer to name a few.

In 2007, Nihar had the opportunity of a lifetime to take tutelage under his idol and inspiration, Ustad Zakir Hussain. Having had the chance to explore the Punjab gharana coupled with his training of Lucknow and Farrukhabad gharana, Nihar has devoted spreading his love for tabla all across the U.S. and beyond. Nihar’s equal passion is to bring a creative level of exploration to his students, who he guides on a one-on-one custom basis. Nihar firmly believes that each student is different in their level of learning, and he adjusts his teaching both in-person and interactively to each student.