Pandit Manik Munde is one of India's leading pakhawaj masters. Born in Maharashtra, he studied with Bhakta Ganesh Anna Chaudhari, Pandit Mahant Amarnath Mishra, and Govind Deshmukh. He has accompanied all of the major artists, both instrumental and vocal, in the ancient tradition of Dhrupad, both in India and on numerous European tours. He has appeared in a number of CD recordings on the Auvidis, Nimbus, and Makar labels. He first visited the U.S. with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar during the Festival of India in 1985, and accompanied Uday Bhawalkar in a 1999 American tour; he completed his third tour of the U.S. in 2000 with Shubha Sankaran. He currently lives in Bombay.