Rajas Upadhye
Rajas Upadhye is a talented violinist and a disciple of Pandit Atulkumar Upadhye, a renowned violin maestro. Rajas comes from a family with a rich tradition of playing the violin, dating back to his grandfather, Guruvarya Pt. Balkrishna Upadhye. The Upadhye family belongs to the Pt. Bhaskarbua Bakhale Gharana, and their playing technique is an improvisation of Pt. Gajananbua Joshi's style, with glimpses of Pt. Shridhar Parsekar ji's style.
Rajas began learning the violin at the age of seven and has won numerous awards since his early school days, including the Interschool Instrumentalist of the Year for three years in a row, a record that still stands. During his college days, he won several awards for his solo violin performances, music compositions, and fusion concepts. Despite achieving a first-class distinction in computer science from Fergusson College, Pune, Rajas chose to pursue a career in music because of his passion and love for Indian classical music and to follow his family's tradition. Rajas has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Padmabhushan Begum Parween Sultana and Padmabhushan Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra ji. His duets with his brother Tejas Upadhye showcase his musical brilliance and mutual coordination. Rajas has performed in various concerts in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Nashik, Bhopal,and even in England, Germany, and Switzerland during his tour to Europe at the age of sixteen.
Rajas has received several awards and accolades for his musical excellence, including the National Scholarship of CCRT (New Delhi), All India Radio's National Award 2015-16, Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Academy of Music Chennai, and Violinist of the Year 2015 by Gaanvardhan. Rajas Upadhye is a rising star in the world of Indian classical music and an embodiment of his family's rich violin tradition.