"But don't get me wrong," he hastens to add. "My father, whom I call guruji, is an immensely talented person. I revere him for his sheer sincerity to the art. But living up to his image troubles me. I went through a lot of depression in my early days when I would think of what a titan my father was."

Salil represents the tenth generation of the famous Bhatt lineage, where music has been the foremost passion for over five hundred years. He is the foremost disciple of Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and one of the youngest and most promising exponents of the Maihar Gharana. His father is the creator of the Mohan Veena, a revolutionary instrument, which has been hailed as a discovery in the Indian classical music scenario. With a master's degree in music and B-high grade of the All India Radio, Salil has performed throughout the country as well as abroad.

Regarding his interest in the Mohan Veena, Salil says, "The sound of the Mohan Veena appealed to me. My uncle, the late Pandit Shastri Mohan Bhatt played the sitar, another uncle, Pandit Ram Mohan Bhatt plays the violin while my grandmother is a vocalist who still sings. To me the sound of the Mohan Veena can say more than the sarod and the sitar, and that attracted me to the instrument."

Unlike children of famous musicians, Salil did not take to learning the instrument until he was 14 years old. In the meanwhile, he pursued his academics seriously.

Salil has recently cut an album with BMG Crescendo titled `Revival of Gavti'. Raag Gavti is a rare raag, almost forgotten. "That is why I want to revive it," he says. "I consider it my responsibility to do so. It is a beautiful raag, complete and serene. There are four rasas to it - Karun ras, Veer ras, Shringar ras and Vaatsalya ras. It sounds complete to me. That is why I wondered why it was forgotten."

Has his father complimented him for his work? Salil grins. "When he does that, I try and read his eyes. To see that he is not merely jesting. But when I find the message is genuine, I am overwhelmed." Salil's son Satwik is just two years old, and is taking after the family's musical lineage. ``He can recognise 22 raagas already. My dad dotes on him and is eager to teach him. He had a custom-built Mohan veena for Satwik when he was just one."

"My only aim in life is to learn to play the instrument well. My son recognises my father as the better player of the instrument when both of us play it. However, I will do my bit and learn to play it well if not as well as my father," he promises.