Music shapes civilisations. The number of young Indian prodigies trained in classical tradition with a formal education is growing. This is a novel trend considering the scale. New horizons are opening up for them to take up music as their sole profession, more open and more exciting than ever before. Independent music scenes are growing across cities, empowered by easy access to digital platforms, and audiences eager for fresh voices. Forming a band and performing on stage is no longer a fantasy. As with any serious discipline, it takes will, relationships, and resilience to sustain a career in music. Millennial parents are recognising budding talent early, and backing their children. From Bengaluru to Mizoram, these whiz kids are not just learning music; they are releasing originals, performing with legends and building a global audience. Their prowess points to a shift in Indian parenting towards talent.
Megan Rakesh from Bengaluru was only nine when she shot to fame after appearing in an Instagram Live session with renowned musician Ehsaan Noorani during the Covid-19 lockdown. She gathered praise from pop icons Alicia Keys and Shania Twain for her vocal skills. Around the same time, she released the single Find My Way, produced by Grammy-nominated artistes Aaron Sarkar and Jaicko Lawrence. Now 14, she is preparing for the release of her debut EP. Her American accent—something that catches the audience’s attention immediately—is acquired, says her father and manager, Rakesh VG. “It was inevitable when you interact with global musicians and rappers. She sang in at least 1,000 online sessions before hitting the stage,” he says.
Megan often performs with her rock band, Meg and the Miracles. She has also played with the iconic Parikrama, and Girish and the Chronicles. When she has free time, she reads and at other times, works on her music. “Literature is my favourite subject,” says Megan. Her mentors are international vocal coaches such as Talia Dean who is one of Brian May’s students, and Korin Deanna Lane. “I feel happiest when I perform. I believe the best form of expression is music. I read a lot of poetry. I love Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. Music is always going to be there, irrespective of good and bad days.”
The teenage singer picked up the nuances of rock music from her father, Rakesh, whose band Out of Office gave her the initial push. “When she was just a kid, she would come and perform at my gigs. It would be a surprise since people never expected a kid to scream out a Led Zeppelin number,” Rakesh says. He and his wife, Anne, run a cloud kitchen, but Megan’s schedule keeps them on their toes. “Her mother designs her clothes for the stage and also travels with her as her manager when she plays with big names,” he says.
Rakesh noticed Megan’s musical productive streak during the pandemic, when school education went online. The couple prepared a home schooling syllabus. Now, Megan’s knowledge extends beyond the confines of a classroom. “We give her books and materials, not for any particular grade, but to learn every subject. She doesn’t have to go to school literally. When she is close to reaching Class X, we will enroll her for exams and follow a syllabus. As of now, she is covered for science, maths, and literature,” he says.
Megan hopes to strike a chord with her new EP. “I am working on the songs and making sure every minuscule detail is perfect before I hit the studio. I have to be proud of my songs even after 50 years. The songs take shape as I keep performing with my band,” she says, adding that she is aware of the power of the spotlight. “I am grateful. I have grown up performing, and being on stage feels like home. One day, I dream of playing my own songs at the Hornbill Festival.”
With 45.1K followers on Instagram, she often reviews books. “She can read a 400-page book in a day and recall it with remarkable accuracy. Publishers send her books; we have almost 1,000 of them. They reached out to us after watching some of our videos in which we discussed books,” says Rakesh.
A kilometre down the road from the Rakesh household lives the 12-year-old drummer, Sanidhya Das, who has been turning heads. In 2024, after he turned 10, Sanidhya performed with one of the oldest Indian rock bands, Indus Creed, at the Independence Rock Festival in Mumbai. “He was probably the youngest drummer in the festival’s history,” says Subhashish, his father, who fed him on rock music. Sanidhya has also been a guest drummer with Parikrama and Junkyard Groove. He got the opportunity when Subhashish shared his drum covers of Indus Creed songs by Uday Benegal. “Nobody could do Indus Creed songs at this age. He played Trapped and Sleep in 2023. I sent it to Uday, and he messaged me saying they were playing in Bengaluru, and that I should bring Sanidhya to the concert. Next year, they performed in Bengaluru again, and this time, he called Sanidhya to guest in the song Fireflies. And then I-Rock happened,” Snehashish says.
Benegal adds, "I have come across a fresh perspective on parenting. Sanidhya’s father, Subhashish, represents the modern parent who encourages children to pursue their dreams. This approach benefits both the children and the world. As they navigate life, staying connected to their hearts is essential, as it provides clarity when the mind can be confusing."
Sanidhya recalls the experience of playing with legends, “It was exciting, and I was living my dream. I was nervous, but the whole crowd was cheering me a lot, which felt very good. I made mistakes at the I-Rock show because I was nervous, but my father felt I was fine, since that was my first band performance ever.”
When he was a toddler, Sanidhya would make drum kits with kitchen utensils. Later, videos of Casey Cooper, Matt McGuire, and Gavin Harrison helped as lessons. Like Megan, who imbibed music from her father, Sanidhya has the genes of his grandfather, who taught Hindustani Classical music. “I used to sing and play a bit of guitar during my college days, but my father played five instruments despite his government job to support the family. When Sanidhya was born, an aunt said she recognised my father’s image in him. Being a traditionalist, my father didn’t support my liking for Western music,” recalls Subhashish, who, despite the demands of his career in data science and marketing, began taking drumming lessons with his son, hoping that learning together would help his child progress faster.
Subhashish and family lived in Lucknow and then Delhi before moving to Bengaluru. At that time, Sanidhya was too young to learn drums, although the father hired a local music teacher. “When we moved to Bengaluru, I realised that I would have to sit with him if he was to learn music in the proper fashion. So we applied for admission to the music school, Neptune Music Hub. Our teacher was the famous metal drummer, Karthik Jayaprakash. I understood that if I learned patterns, grooves, triplets, and the other rudiments of music, I could help my son,” he reasons. The classes stopped a few months after the Covid-19 lockdown. Since then, Sanidhya is on a personal journey of self-discovery through music.
He was the only Indian performer at the UK drum show in 2025, where he met Harrison, the drummer of Porcupine Tree and King Crimson. “Harrison’s playing introduced him to polyrhythms,” reveals Subhashish. Armed with an iPad, Sanidhya has been trying to produce music using GarageBand software. He wants to study at the Berklee School of Music. “I feel he should get a degree in music production from the US or UK. Being only an instrumentalist is not enough. There is money only if you can understand production or become a drum teacher like drummer Darshan Doshi, who has so many students. Bollywood also brings big money, but that will not be a daily affair,” says his father. Sanidhya recently completed the eighth grade in drumming with distinction from Trinity College, London.
He is currently in Class VII at Vibgyor High School. “My wife is a teacher. She takes care of his education,” he adds. Sanidhya’s goal is to keep practising and secure a jazz drumming degree from Trinity. Inspired by odd time signatures and complex music, he wants to continue his exploration and research by listening. “Simple drumming is fairly easy, and I already know many songs. Even though I like it, it can get boring. I want to push the boundaries. My father tells me to write my own songs which I am doing. I want to pick up on songs by Animals as Leaders, a progressive metal instrumental band. I wish to focus on practising on an acoustic drum kit,” says the youngest Mapex artiste in India, who is currently polishing his skills on an electronic kit. “Practising in a residential apartment, it is challenging to play the acoustic kit because of its loud sound,” adds Subhashish.
Around 350 km from Bengaluru, in Coimbatore, lives a bass guitar player with a hunger to conquer the world. Sixteen-year-old Deshna Chitturi, again nurtured by a musician father Arun, picked up bass only five years ago. “Since I was a guitar player, I could give her inputs to fast-track her learning. The coaching was quite intensive, and she spent five hours practising. At some point, she also felt the instrument was not for her, but I did not give up,” says Arun.
Two prominent women from the bass guitar fraternity, Mohini Dey and Nilanjana Ghosh Dastidar, inspired Deshna. “She was fascinated by Italian bass player Davie504,” says Arun, who handed her the bass to accompany his electric guitar. Coimbatore doesn’t have a thriving live music scene, which is a deterrent for Deshna. But knowledge never stops. “She is trying to complete her grade in rock and pop from Trinity. She is somehow managing, but at times, she takes lessons from Nilanjana, who plays with AR Rahman. She has learned the bass from Akashdeep Gogoi too. Currently, Avishek Dey is teaching her jazz,” says Arun.
Deshna attended a regular school till Class X. Things soon changed once she landed an official endorsement deal with Mark Bass & Procraft India, a company that manufactures, imports and distributes musical instruments. “Eight hours of school was no longer the right choice for her career. We registered her through the National Institute of Open Schooling portal, and now she is taking her Class XI exams. She has to attend online classes by a tutor and take her exams when the time comes,” he adds.
The teenager has no qualms about picking up an instrument that not many dare to. “I have a lot of things to learn in terms of techniques and genres. I really like how the bass guitar feels. The instrument sounds majestic. I have released one bass instrumental song, and three more are in the pipeline. My father and I composed the first track that highlights the bass slap technique. Now, I am working on a funk piece. My father will play the guitar. I am inspired to compose my numbers after listening to people like Mohini and Vincen Garcia,” says Deshna, who already has 54.3K followers on Instagram.
Arun took a break from his corporate job in 2022 to guide her while his wife, Rincy, still holds one. “My wife is a huge support for us. She never thinks twice before buying a new bass for Deshna. She works and does more than a mother is supposed to do,” he says.
Subir Malik, founder and keyboardist, ParikramaIn, believes that with the advent of the internet, the aspirations of kids in India are evolving. "In our younger days, most people aspired to become either doctors or engineers. The growth of the internet, along with excellent tutorials, has benefited children by allowing them to learn from anyone in the world. What we did at 25, today's kids are doing at 10. They should keep at it, be humble, be on time and stay away from substance abuse. Even if they don't play live, they can still make a career out of music by opening a school, or a studio, or writing jingles or teaching," he says.
Aanika Pai, another prodigy from South India, is making waves in the guitar world. It is a coincidence that Aanika played with Megan at a gig in Bengaluru when she last visited India. She collaborated with Sanidhya and Deshna for a funk jam video, recorded remotely. Currently living in Gibraltar because her parents work in the British Overseas Territory, the 13-year-old from Hyderabad announced her arrival with a guitar cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s classic, Crazy Train. “Before that, she had 600 followers on Instagram, then it reached 20,000. Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy’s daughter has commented on it,” reveals her father, Avinash.
Aanika’s teacher is the veteran Indian guitarist Sumith Ramachandran, who is particularly known for his finger-picking technique. “We moved to Gibraltar from Hyderabad in 2010. My wife is a data analyst, and I work in the marketing sector. Aanika started taking guitar and piano lessons in Gibraltar since she was six. My father is a multi-instrumentalist, but we seem to have skipped a generation. My brother, Anoop, and I played cricket for Hyderabad; he played the Ranji Trophy,” adds Avinash, whose parenting moment was introducing his daughter to Yousician, a music-learning app. “It was interactive, engaging and had a gamification component. You earn stars and badges on it. Aanika started playing on it as if it was like a video game. She finished nine levels in six months and was about to start the 10th. That’s when Sumith sir stepped in. Initially, he was not keen on teaching a teen, but watching a few of her videos convinced him. He is the reason for Aanika’s growing success.”
These lessons helped the young girl cover avant-garde guitar players Kiko Loureiro and Guthrie Govan. “It is difficult to teach kids that young. But I was also a child prodigy with no teacher at the age of three. I know what it is like. When you interact with Aanika, you know how they think. Not all children are like her. Since I am a self-taught guitarist, I shared my experiences with her, and knew she had the talent,” says Ramachandran, adding, “She made my job as a teacher easier, and she would nail all the exercises in the one-hour online class despite the time difference and internet disruptions. She is ready to play with the big guys.” Aanika played with Jetstream, a rock band from Gibraltar. “They gave her the platform when she was just 11. She played The Final Countdown (Europe) and Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses) with them. She also did Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) in one of the shows in Gibraltar. Her solo video went viral again,” adds Avinash, who handles her Instagram page which has 75.3K followers.
Being good in studies doesn’t place added pressure to balance education and music. “She studies on her own and is in Class VIII at Westside School. Music doesn’t interfere with her education, but let’s see where it goes,” he adds.
The guitar prodigy has released three singles in 2026: Inception, Groovalicious, and Electric Joyride. “I hope to do a full-length album after practising a bit more and increasing my vocabulary,” says the youngster, who has a method to her madness. “How I normally start a composition is through riffs and ideas when noodling. If I find something I like, I record it, and then I have a library where I store the ideas. We have been in touch with Swedish musician Mattias Eklundh, who has co-written the music with me,” says Aanika, who also picked the brains of Loureiro and Govan at guitar camps. “My dad and I went to Loureiro’s guitar camp, where he taught me a lot of things. After every masterclass, he calls everyone on stage for a jam. I got to improvise over one of his tracks. Guthrie was a special guest at one of the other camps,” she adds.
Aanika has performed at the National Association of Music Merchants event for two consecutive years. She also played a gig in London with Japanese prodigy drummer Yoyoka Soma. “I would love Aanika to play everywhere around India, Europe, South America, Australia, and everywhere,” Avinash sums up.
Away from the urban noise and tucked into the serene hills of Lunglei in Mizoram lives Esther Lalduhawmi Hnamte, a nine-year-old vocalist. Born to taxi driver Lalrinenga Hnamte and R Lalawmpui, a retired church soprano, she became a sensation after covering AR Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam in 2020 at four. She also sang Jana Gana Mana and shot a video with the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, who supported the production. “Mizoram has a rich musical culture. Music is deeply rooted in everyday life, and the environment is encouraging. It helps children like Esther grow confidently,” says her uncle, R Lalrambeiseia.
She inherited the pitch from her mother and often sang in churches and community gatherings since she was two. She would surprise everyone by memorising Hindi and English lyrics of songs despite speaking only Mizo. The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2025 encouraged her to dream big.
“I enjoy singing patriotic songs like Vande Mataram, and Made in India, Hindi songs, Mizo songs, English, and other meaningful music that connects with people. I want to become a good singer and make my family, my state, and my country proud,” says the youngster, who attends the Assam Rifles Public School with her brother in their area. “She balances studies and music well by following a routine, giving equal importance to both,” adds Lalrambeiseia, who is her guide in the musical career. “My role is to identify opportunities beyond the state and make the necessary arrangements. I collaborate closely with Esther’s parents to ensure we maintain a shared vision. I am also involved in selecting suitable songs for her and finalising music videos.”
In Mumbai, a contemporary of Esther is making people dance at nightclubs with a turntable. Meet 10-year-old Aarohi Dalvi, the youngest club DJ in the world. The youngster, who discovered her love for the console at the age of four, now goes by the moniker DJ Lil Aarohi. Her father, Ashish, who owns the Echos DJ Academy in the city, guided her. She mentored under DJ Sumit Gehlot (Echosmith) and Ritik Uke (UKE). “She was fascinated by the sounds and lights of the console. At seven, she became the youngest club DJ to play non-stop for over an hour at the Wings on Fire club in Mumbai, thereby entering the Guinness World Records,” says Ashish.
By six, Aarohi had completed a beat juggling, basic and advanced scratch course. “She was learning faster than other kids at our academy. We were taken aback by how she was scratching as a four-year-old. People from all over the world began liking her videos on Instagram, which now has 116K followers. Then we applied for the ‘youngest DJ’ certificate,” adds Ashish.
Last year, Aarohi finished in the top five at the DMC Open World DJ Championship. She was the first female DJ from India, and also the youngest to break into the top-flight competition. “DMC had numerous experienced DJs from around the world,” says her father, adding that Aarohi was awarded the Global Child Prodigy Award 2025 in British Parliament house when she was nine. Ashish and his wife, Archana, who is a homemaker, are not worried about their talented daughter missing school. “She is getting support from her school, St. Anne’s Convent. On a day she has to practise, we don’t send her to school. Then she tries to make up for lost time,” he adds. Inspired by influential Swedish DJ Avicii, Aarohi dreams of creating her own songs and remixes. “Waiting For Love is my favourite track. I would love to be a music producer someday, and make my own music,” says the young turntablist.
These kids are not the only ones who are supported and encouraged by their parents, who take their offsprings’ skills seriously. Father-daughter band The British Raj, comprising guitarist Rajkumar Sengupta and daughter, Aria, and Dad N’ Daughter, helmed by guitarist Chandresh Kudwa and his daughter, Eva, are rocking the new Indian musical world with youth and ambition.
Obviously success rarely arrives overnight. It comes incrementally, growing through countless rehearsals, small gigs, experiments, and of course, learning to stay true to one’s inner melody. To be on stage can be exhilarating, but also demands commitment, humility, and constant evolution. For those teenage prodigies willing to put in the work, music can become not just a profession, but a powerful way to build community, tell stories, and create something that resonates far beyond the spotlight.