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Born blind in Kathmandu in 1944, Narendra Bataju showed a pronounced interest in music (singing, tables) from very early on. At the age of 8, he began playing the sitar with Naraya Prasad Shresta who remained his mentor during many years. At the age of 10, he moved to Lucknow (in the Benares region, India) to perfect his skills at the Batkhandé Institute of Music, where he graduated at the age of 20 with a master diploma and a 1st prize. He has given numerous concerts ever since, and is often played on the radio, both in Nepal and in India (Radio Nepal, All India Radio, Radio Delhi, as well as in Calcutta, Benares and Lucknow).
In order to widen his musical experience, he decided to move to Paris in 1972, where he taught the sitar and the surbatar (large sitar), attracting pupils from all over the world.
In France, he also gave a great number of concerts in various legendary venues such as the Paris Olympia, the Maison de l'ORTF, the France-Musique and France-Culture studios, the Festival d'automne (Paris, Grand Palais), Salle Cortot… Besides Paris, he was also welcomed in Carcassonne, Metz, Avignon, Annecy, Nantes, Limoges, Versailles, Châteauvallon, Toulouse.
In the rest of Europe, he performed in Liège, Brussels, Anvers, Ghent, Amsterdam, Geneva, Rome, Turin, Palermo et San Sebastian.
Since his arrival in the West, Narendra Bataju has been mentored by the great Ravi Shankar, who considers him to be one of his best disciples.
Bataju has also produced a vast discography, with highlights such as “Râga Bhairagi Bairan„, “Râga Madhuranti„, “Râga Gun Kali„, “Râga Kirvana„, “Râga Jog Kans„ and “Râga Misra Pilu„.
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Faiçal Salimi was born in Lausanne on October 24, 1990. He was initiated to the tabla at the tender age of four by his father, Quasem. In July 1995, he gave his first concert in Germany, which was followed by concerts for television in London, Switzerland, and later on all over Europe.
He has enjoyed the honour of performing with such renowned artists as Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan (Pakistan), sitar player Ustad Khalil Gudaz (Afghanistan), vocalist Ustad Mawash (Afghanistan), as well as the great tabla master Ustad Asif (Afghanistan), who was also Faiçal's teacher.
Later on, he also performed with other Afghan and Indianan artists, as well as with Swiss and Iranian bands. Most of his concerts have taken place within the “Young Kabul Festival„, which was created by his father in 1997.
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