My journey thus far….

My musical journey

My musical journey started when I was six and although it has not always been a straight path I am still discovering new and wonderful elements of music through my gurus, colleagues and students.

I am blessed to have had some wonderful musicians to guide me over time: my first gurus in Mridangam – the late Sri Ambalavanar and Sri Sinnarajah and violin Sri Sarveswara Sharma. Couple of decades later I was fortunate to join the late Guru Karaikudi Mani sir’s Mridangam school as well Vidushi Rukmini on violin.

I have also had the fortune to spend time with Sri TV Gopalakrishnan, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and Sri Vittal Ramamurthy – great influencers in Carnatic music. Late Sri Sitarama Sharma was an excellent guide on vocal music.

Guru Karaikudi R Mani

Mani sir as we fondly referred to him was an incredible drummer with incredible precision, strength and clarity. He was a force to be reckon with both on and off the stage. He also had a soft heart underneath all that hard exterior and was a wonderful cook. Lessons were tough but so rewarding – he was a generous teacher sharing his complex performance pieces readily with his students.

T Rukmini

T. Rukmini was a trailblazing violinist in Carnatic music. In a field dominated by men, she stood out for her poise, humility, and exceptional skill. Her steely determination and quiet strength carried her to great heights . But above all she was a wonderful person to know not just as musician but as a pleasant, genuine individual who was caring and considerate to her students.

Great performers inspire….

Performing with great artists and friends is a big part of anyone’s musical journey. Some of the notable experiences are performing with my Guru Karaikudi Mani in 2019, Sri TV Gopalakrishnan, Flute Maestro Praveen Godkhindi and Ustad Shahid Pravez. In addition, through my ensemble Akshara, i have had the pleasure of working with Tabla artists Nitin Mitta, Suryaksha Deshpande and Shivalik Ghoshal, volinists Arun Ramamurthy and Trina Basu, Flautists Jay Gandhi and Visveshwar Nagarajan, Cellists Dave Eggar, Amali Premawardhana and Peter Sachon, Hammered Dulcimer maestro Max ZT and pianists Richard Bennett and Ilari Kaila.

With Lalgudi Jayaraman

Some milestones along the way…..

2007/08 – Teaching and conducting the first Carnatic program/recital at Juilliard School of Music.

2015 – Mohana Blues, a composition for Ahshara wins the ‘Best World Traditional Song’ at the 13th annual Independent Music Awards.

2025 – Performing at the Lincoln Center Wu Tsai Theater, home to the New York Philharmonic

Picture Gallery….

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