Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Musician
Musician

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Born 27 July 1950 · Rajasthan

Invented and popularized the Mohan veena, a modified slide guitar for Hindustani classical music.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, known professionally as V. M. Bhatt, is an Indian Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who invented and plays a modified slide guitar that is widely called the Mohan veena.

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A detail that
surprised us

“

At age 17, Bhatt bought a Spanish guitar from a German student and transformed it into the Mohan veena, an instrument with 19 strings that mimics the vocal style of Indian ragas.

The Story

1
In 1967, 17-year-old Vishwa Mohan Bhatt stumbled upon a Spanish guitar left behind by a German student at his father’s music school in Jaipur and began transforming it into what would become the Mohan veena, an Indian classical slide guitar.
2
🎸 By 1993, Bhatt’s collaboration with American slide guitarist Ry Cooder on the album A Meeting by the River won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, marking a rare cross-cultural musical achievement.
3Bhatt’s Mohan veena uniquely combines 19 strings, including 3 melody, 4 drone, and 12 sympathetic strings, blending the sustained singing style of Indian classical music with slide guitar techniques.
4In 2004, Bhatt’s appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival introduced his Mohan veena to a wider Western audience, expanding interest in Indian classical fusion.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album

🔍 One thing most people don't know

“

In 1967, Bhatt was only 17 when he acquired a Spanish guitar abandoned by a German student in Jaipur and began modifying it into the Mohan veena, an instrument with 19 strings blending Indian classical music with slide guitar techniques.

🖼️

Through the Years

1 photograph from the archives
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with his Mohan Veena, showcasing his signature instrument (2015)
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with his Mohan Veena, showcasing his signature instrument (2015)
2015

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Birth in Jaipur, Rajasthan
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt was born in Jaipur into a family of musicians, laying the foundation for his classical music upbringing.
1950
⚡
Career
Acquires Spanish guitar in Jaipur
At age 17, Bhatt bought a Spanish guitar abandoned by a German student and began modifying it into the Mohan veena.
1967
🏅
Award
Grammy Award for ‘A Meeting by the River’
Bhatt’s collaboration with Ry Cooder won the Grammy for Best World Music Album, spotlighting the Mohan veena internationally.
1993
🏅
Award
Received Padma Shri Award
The Government of India honored Bhatt with the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian classical music.
2002
⚡
Career
Performed at Crossroads Guitar Festival
Bhatt’s Mohan veena was introduced to a wide Western audience at Eric Clapton’s festival in the USA.
2004
🏅
Award
Awarded Padma Bhushan
Bhatt received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, recognizing his artistic innovation and influence.
2017
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

The 1993 album A Meeting by the River, a collaboration between Bhatt and Ry Cooder, won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, one of the few Indian classical musicians to receive this honor.

02 / 05
🔍LESSER KNOWN

Bhatt’s Mohan veena contains 19 strings: 3 melody, 4 drone, and 12 sympathetic strings, designed to recreate the sustained microtonal slides of Indian classical vocal music on a modified slide guitar.

03 / 05
👤PERSONAL

His elder son Salil Bhatt has taught international musicians including Canadian folk artist Harry Manx and Australian guitarist Lawrie Minson, spreading Mohan veena techniques across continents.

No quote recorded for Vishwa Mohan Bhatt yet.

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
IN CONVERSATION - PANDIT. VISHWA MOHAN BHATT
More from this archive
IN CONVERSATION - PANDIT. VISHWA MOHAN BHATT
01
IN CONVERSATION - PANDIT. VISHWA MOHAN BHATT
Vishwa Mohan bhatt Apni Suno success story
02
Vishwa Mohan bhatt Apni Suno success story
Ravi Shankar at 100 Centenary year Celebration Talk Shows By Padma Bhushan Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
03
Ravi Shankar at 100 Centenary year Celebration Talk Shows By Padma Bhushan Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Jaipur Dev Festival Message by : Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt : Padma Bhushan & Grammy Award
04
Jaipur Dev Festival Message by : Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt : Padma Bhushan & Grammy Award
Padma Awards for Kailash Kher, K.J. Yesudas & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
05
Padma Awards for Kailash Kher, K.J. Yesudas & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
मुंबई: बाबासाहेब आंबेडकरांना पंडित विश्वमोहन भट यांची अनोखी आदरांजली
06
मुंबई: बाबासाहेब आंबेडकरांना पंडित विश्वमोहन भट यांची अनोखी आदरांजली

🌱 What changed because of them

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt expanded the horizons of Indian classical music by inventing the Mohan veena, which bridged traditional ragas with slide guitar techniques. His Grammy-winning collaborations introduced Indian classical sounds to Western audiences, influencing fusion genres and inspiring musicians worldwide. Institutions like the Water Lily Acoustics label and the Crossroads Guitar Festival helped propel his innovations into global view, while his family lineage sustains the instrument’s legacy.

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