Nikhil Rao

Nikhil Rao is an Indian Guitarist. He is the lead guitar player in India’s most popular band called the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is considered to be the pioneers >> Read More... . It’s an Indian rock band that came into being in 1990. Rao hails from Hyderabad, Telangana. He attended Maharaja Agrasen Vidyalaya in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He went to college in Anand, Gujarat. He pursued a PhD in Material Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. As a child, Rao discovered his love for music but he was also interested in studying.

Rao is a self-taught guitarist. He was a child when he first attempted to play a musical instrument. It was on his father’s old keyboard and he tried to reproduce every melody he had heard. At the age of 15 he started playing guitar. He started with pop and blues songs. By the age of 20, Rao heard Shakti, a fusion band. After listening to the band, he fell in love with Indian Classical Music. Rao once went to meet the Indian Ocean band as a fan and played guitar in front of them. Little did he know that he was to become a part of the group in future.

Coming from a highly educated family of engineers and doctors, Rao never thought of choosing music as a profession. He was all set for making his way in the corporate world. But life had other plans. While he was in Singapore pursuing a PhD, the Indian Ocean offered him to join the band. They needed a new artist. Initially Rao struggled to make a decision. But he eventually chose to come back to India and give it a shot. And it turned out to be his life changing decision.

Indian Ocean songs in which Nikhil Rao has worked include Jaadu Maaya, Tu Hai, Rebirth, Jungle, Dil Dariya The serial Dil Dariya (1988) primarily revolved ar >> Read More... , Iss Tan Dhan and many more. Rao’s first movie experience was Masaan. Indian Ocean made some beautiful songs for Masaan like, Tu Kisi Rail Si Guzarti Hai. It is one of the most loved songs. Some bands that Rao loves listening to include Metallica, Dream Theatre and Mega Death.