Meeta Pandit is a renowned khayal singer from the Gwalior gharana. Her grandfather Pandit Krishna Rao Shankar and father Pandit Laxmanrao Krishnarao were her first gurus - she is the sixth generation of musicians in the family, but the first woman from the lineage to perform professionally. Her brother Tushar was expected to carry the family style forward, but he was tragically killed in a road accident in 1994, leaving Meeta as the tradition’s principal young exponent.

She has more than lived up to the responsibility, using her 3-octave vocal range to sing khayal, tappa, tarana, bhajan, thumri, and Sufi song forms. She recently completed a PhD on the musical history of her family, turning it into a book in 2018 (Pandits of Gwalior).

"My training was not so different from that of my ancestors hundreds of years ago. In our family we have kept certain methods constant."

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.