About
Rasika Shekhar (born 1989, Dubai; raised New Jersey, USA) is an Indian-origin singer, flautist and composer whose training spans Carnatic and Hindustani classical traditions. She began her professional career as a vocalist on tour with ghazal legend Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan, a formative experience that grounded her in the ghazal idiom. She subsequently moved to Bollywood playback, working with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on films including 2 States and Katti Batti. Her collaboration on the Grammy-winning album Divine Tides extended her profile internationally. She trained initially in Carnatic vocals and violin with family musicians, adding Hindustani classical study on moving to India.
The artistry
Rasika's ghazal practice is rooted in direct experience with Ghulam Ali Khan's concert repertoire, through which she absorbed the improvisational depth and Urdu poetic sensibility that define the classical ghazal tradition. Her dual training -- Carnatic and Hindustani -- gives her an unusual cross-classical perspective as a ghazal interpreter. She also performs as a solo Carnatic flautist, making her one of the few ghazal vocalists who brings instrumental classical training to the form.
[Atlas Perspective] Rasika Shekhar represents an important category in the contemporary ghazal ecosystem: diaspora artists who found their way to the form through serious classical training and direct apprenticeship with masters, rather than through the commercial Bollywood route. Her Ghulam Ali connection gives her genuine credibility in the tradition. CultureAtlas will update this profile as her independent ghazal work develops.