Ojas Adhiya

Profile Image

Ojas Adhiya combines extraordinary technical aptitude with a vast knowledge base, playing with a fluency that belies his years. Born in a small Maharashtra village, he was drawn to the tabla from infancy, experimenting with the instrument at the age of two. He taught himself the 8-beat keherwa taal soon afterwards, shocking his father when he first overheard him.

Soon after he was listed in the Limca Book of Records as India’s youngest tabla artist, having debuted at the age of four. He began to accompany his parents, spiritual gurus, in their ceremonies, and aged five the family moved to Mumbai so he could study classical tabla with Shri Mridangraj of the Ajrada gharana. During his time as a student he also delved into jazz, ghazal, and Carnatic rhythm, and advises young artists to play everything they hear.

He combines exuberance with restraint, citing the influence of modern stars such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Pandit Kumar Bose, and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. Today he accompanies top Hindustani artists - including Ustad Shahid Parvez at Darbar Festival 2018 - and is firmly establishing himself as an exciting solo performer.


“You shouldn’t be conscious when you accompany. If you’re conscious you’re losing that moment - Indian classical music is all about spontaneous creativity, which is happening then and there."



Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical music to stir, thrill, and inspire. Explore our YouTube channel, or subscribe to the Darbar Concert Hall to watch extended festival performances, talk and documentaries in pristine HD and UHD quality. 


Other artists you may like

Kumar Bose

Pandit Kumar Bose is one of the modern world’s most exciting tabla players. He trained under legendary Benares...

read more

Supreet Deshpande

Pandit Supreet Deshpande is a tabla maestro from the Farukhabad gharana. He studied under his father Pandit Kiran...

read more

Surdarshan Chana

Surdarshan Chana

read more

Yashwant Vaishnav 

The cadence of a frolicking deer.  

Brash disputes between husband and wife—the husband’s domineering voice almost...

read more

See Full Festival concerts from our extensive archive,
and hundreds of other exclusive performances with
Darbar Player

Download our app and watch on the go
New exclusive releases every month
Watch anytime, anywhere


START FREE TRIAL

Free for 3 days. Cancel anytime.
Pay £9.95/month

Follow us

Keep up to date with the latest news, events, music and musings across our social channels

YouTube latest

For hundreds more clips and shorts, vist our YT page here

Subscribe to our newsletters

Be the first to hear before events go on sale. Get the latest news and articles from Darbar