Creator of the Mohan Veena, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (born 1952) is one of the greatest and most expressive slides players in the world. He is the foremost disciple of renowned Sitarist, Pt. Ravi Shankar. By incorporating elements of sitar, sarod and veena, and by adding more strings to a Hawaiian Slide Guitar, he has designed the Mohan Veena and Vishwa Veena.
Some outstanding features of Bhatt’s style are his natural ability to play the ‘Tantrakari Ang’ (instrumental style of music) and incorporate the „Gayaki Ang‟ (vocal style in instrumental music) on Mohan Veena. With his electrifying music, he has always mesmerized the audiences, be it in the United States of America, Europe, Gulf countries or his motherland India.
He won the Grammy Award in 1994 along with Ry Cooder for their World Music Album, ‘A MEETING BY THE RIVER’. He has received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Padmashri Award, apart from many other accolades and honors. In India, he cherishes performing for the SPICMACAY, the Saptak Festival at Ahmedabad and the Sawai Gandharva Fest at Pune. Apart from being a star performer, he is a master composer too. As an excellent collaborator, he did a historic jugalbandi with a Chinese Ehru player Jei Bing Chang, has also combined with ace American Dobro guitar player Jerry Douglas.