Raghav Sachar

Raghav Sachar was born on 24 July 1981 in Kolkata (then Calcutta), India, to R. K. Sachar and Usha Sachar, and is the youngest of three children in a family of music lovers. He began playing his first instrument, the harmonica, at just four years old, and his parents gifted him a new instrument every year thereafter. Raghav is an alumnus of Mount St. Mary’s School, Delhi Cantt.

Raghav’s early talent showed quickly — he won the Best Drummer Award at the Pepsi Cornucopia contest in Delhi in 1994 and was named best keyboard player at the BITS Pilani Festival. At just 15, the Government of India selected Raghav as its representative for a cultural exchange program in Russia. He also formed the band Canzona, touring across India and performing at institutions like the IITs and BITS Pilani, before heading to the Monash Conservatory of Music in Melbourne in 2000 to formally study music, majoring in Jazz with saxophone as his main instrument and flute as his minor. Raghav also completed affiliated coursework at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and Trinity College of Music in London, and was honored with the Golden Key Award and Earnest Award for academic excellence at Monash in 2000 and 2001.

During his years abroad, Raghav toured as a “One-Man Band” across Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. His extraordinary talent earned him a feature as a “Born Genius” on National Geographic’s global television series “My Brilliant Brain.” Raghav has performed live for over 2,000 public, corporate, and private shows since 2003, and today plays more than 33 instruments.

Raghav released his debut album, “Raghav – For The First Time,” in 2003 through His Master’s Voice (HMV), followed by three more albums through Universal Music in 2005 and 2007. Albums like “24 Carat,” “Play It Loud,” and “Charming Lootera” became commercially successful across India, and his 2010 release “Vande Mataram” was launched by Union Ministers Kamal Nath and Jaipal Reddy. In 2009, Raghav founded his own label, Raghav Sachar Music, releasing 12 albums under it between 2009 and 2015.

In 2005, Raghav made his mark as a Bollywood music director, composing the score for Yash Raj Films’ “Kabul Express.” He went on to compose for films including “One Two Three” and “Bittoo Boss,” and lent his multi-instrumental talents to over 150 films, including “Salaam Namaste,” “Parineeta,” “Dhoom,” “Kaal,” “Hum Tum,” “Black Friday,” “Kal Ho Naa Ho,” and “Don.” In 2011, Raghav founded Raghav Sachar Productions, expanding into film scoring, live events, and music videos.

Over his career, Raghav has collaborated with some of India’s most celebrated music directors, including A.R. Rahman, Vishal–Shekhar, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Salim–Sulaiman, Anu Malik, and Pritam, and has recorded and performed alongside artists such as Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Adnan Sami, Shubha Mudgal, and international jazz drummer Dave Weckl.

Raghav has represented India on some of the world’s biggest stages — performing as a Cultural Ambassador in Germany, Japan, and the UK (2006–2007), headlining the 26-city “Idea Rocks India” tour (2007), performing at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for overseas Indian community award ceremonies, closing the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and performing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (2011). He has also performed for major brands including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Samsung, and Google, and has judged and appeared on reality shows including Indian Idol, The Voice, Saregamapa, and Fame Gurukul. He has been endorsed by Gibson guitars since 2010 and by Yamaha for wind instruments since 2012.

On 21 January 2014, Raghav married actress Amita Pathak in Mumbai. He continues to release new music, including his 2023 single “Mana Leya Kar,” and remains active across composing, performing, and collaborating with fellow artists.