Meet Nikhil Paralikar aka The Tabla Guy who has collaborated with Arman Malik, Ash King, and has done a Tabla rendition of Saaho Re Bahubali!

Know for his grooving Tabla beats, Nikhil Paralikar aka the Tabla Guy is winning hearts through his Tabla covers. His Instagram is a fun place to scroll as it is home to many awesome covers of Black Swan by BTS, Scam 1992 theme, Avengers theme, Apna Time Aayega, and a lot more!

Taking Tabla to another level, Nikhil Paralikar aka The Tabla Guy is taking the music industry with his amazing talent of playing tabla. His command over the beats is impressive, he is known for his unique Tabla covers, and smooth performances. His work has been appreciated by Armaan Malik, Vishal Dadlani, Badshah, Raftaar, Ash King, and many more celebs. He can play Tabla on any musical piece! Be it the Avengers theme song, Faded by Alan Walker, Money Heist's 'Bella Ciao', or classic songs like Moh Moh Ke Dhaage or even Telugu songs, he always blends his Tabla skills into the songs effortlessly, and it is indeed a treat to listen to him!

Nikhil Paralikar was only 5 when his mom discovered his fondness for beats. He learned Tabla when his family shifted to Hyderabad from Saudi Arabia. " Though my family has always been fascinated about music and singing. My personal journey in the field of music started at the age of 5 when my mom introduced me to Tabla. She was the one who observed my pattern of syncing musical beats.", he said.



Nikhil professionally started learning tabla under the mentorship of Shri. Vishwanath Sitala and completed his visharad in the same. His ability to complement any tune into a foot-tapping number is all because of his extensive training in classical music. " While undergoing the training in tabla, I started gaining the maturity of understanding music in a finer way.  For me, practicing was an evolutionary process because as I got better, I was able to enjoy the game even more. Later what started as a hobby eventually led to one of the most rewarding things I do as a musician." 

Apart from being a Tabla player and a sound engineer, Nikhil also holds a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering. But it was his passion for Tabla that made him pick it as his full-time career. Talking about this life-altering decision, he said, " As a field, it may look unconventional to take up as a career and as an artist because it is very competitive. It may get intimidating sometimes but having confidence and faith in my work and the audience's love and support keeps me going."



If you are one of those people who think that Tabla is meant only for Indian classical music, then Nikhil's covers are definitely going to surprise you. He has done multiple covers on western music, and each one of them is equally amazing and dance-worthy. We wonder how does he prep for it!



"There is no preparation as such it is just that I try to involve myself with the mood of the track and then automatically my tabla patterns start sounding good with them. The western covers are no different. It is just a matter of training and practice of how to find a way for Indian classical beats in the western musical genre."

Nikhil had recently collaborated with Arman Malik for his song 'Aaja Na Ferrari Mein', and Ash King for 'Highway'. Both the songs sounded amazing with his Tabla beats, and it's definitely a must-listen. "Fortunately, both of them found me through social media after I covered one of their tracks which impressed them. I was truly amazed and honored to collaborate with such excellent artists from our industry."



Nikhil's Tabla rendition of Sahore Bahubali is a treat for the ears. The Tabla adds more depth to the song, and it shows his fabulous skills. But, as we already know, certain things are easier said than done, and so was this cover for Nikhil. " It was one of the most challenging tracks I did as the whole track felt like a world in itself. Also, creating a similar aura with the help of tabla was a little challenging. But it still turned out to be an amazing experience and the project was a success."

The Tabla Guy is pretty active on his Instagram and keeps uploading videos every now and then. Each cover is unique in its own way, and there's no doubt that along with his fabulous skills, it's also the creativity that makes them brilliant. Talking about how does he keep the creative juices flowing, he said, " My biggest strengths when I first started playing were hearing the music, feeling the music, and most importantly, enjoying the music. It helps create or articulate a tune like its an intuition or a reflex with rapidness to it."



He believes being a Tabla Player, he is able to introduce classical music to viewers and listeners who would not otherwise be drawn to it. " The fact that I have been able to inspire others simply by doing what I enjoy has shown to me that passion can not only be expressed, but also transformed."



Watching him ace the Tabla is pure bliss. Nikhil firmly believes that 3 skills that can turn someone into a good Tabla player are Knowledge of Rhythm, Knowledge of Sound, and Ragas used in vocal and instrument playing. " It’s never late to learn or start something new. Music has the special quality to bring joy; peace and fulfillment that helps lift the spirit and make life enjoyable for everyone involved. And who doesn’t want that? "

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Other than being the Tabla Guy, Nikhil also owns a cafe in Jubilee hills, and along with coffee, and gourmet food a lot more happens at Tarz Studio & Cafe'. It is known for hosting Live Musical Shows and has been featuring different musicians and singers.



" I believe Food is music to the body; music is food to the heart. Tarz is where you can experience the best of both worlds. It's a place where artists can connect, unleash and exhibit their creative ideas. We also have a Tarz creator studio coming up which will help artists create and master their talent. "

Nikhil Parilkar is alo a huge fan of percussion instruments like Dabruka, Djembe, and Cajon. String instruments like Sitar and Zitar, Sarangi.  Ustad Ahmedjaan Thirakwa, Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, Pandit Kishan Maharaj are a few names that keep him inspired.



His YouTube channel has more than 500K subscribers currently. He recently did a Tabla Cover on the trending

" Runaway Aurora' on his Instagram. Groove on your favourite tracks while the Tabla Guy rocks them with his Tabla here, and get lost in his classic yet modern Tabla beats!

Also Read: Meet Girija Phalke Marathe, Great Granddaughter of Shri Dadasaheb Phalke who plays guitar like a pro!

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