SHRUTI

A South Asian Band

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THE MUSICIANS

Get to know the "Shrutiites" for 2009 - a team of 15 including 7 vocalists with accompaniments on tablas, dholaks, drums, keyboards, guitars and a variety of other instruments...

	Amitabh Mukherjee This talented and versatile musician, loves slapping a bass riff out for the most complicated of songs, and also double up as a Drummer and a Guitar player. But most importantly, he feels very lucky to be able to do music for a great cause! His guru? Mr. Amitabh Mukherjee. No kidding. He never learnt formally but “observed a few great players”. His favorite music includes progressive Rock/Metal, Jazz and Hindustani classical. In his free time, he loves riding motorcycles and hiking.
Anitha Kamath Diminutive in size but not in voice, she forms part of a well-known group of female singers for Shruti. A Bangalorian by birth and by heart, her repertoire includes doing more than justice to well known Lata and Asha numbers. Loves music with a passion; mom to Siddharth and little Tanvi.
	Arun Mattikalli Arun started playing the bongo when he was 11 in school with his brother. He learned Afro-Cuban conga drumming locally in the Seattle area. Being an all-rounder percussionist, he also plays drums, dhol, and shakers with precision and he is associated with several Indian bands and an Afro-Cuban fusion band. His favorite hobbies? Drumming, photography, listening to Cuban jazz and most importantly - playing with his 2 year old son!
Ashish Shanbhag Ashish has been playing Tabla since he was 5. His love for music and experimenting with true to life sounds has made him venture out with other percussion instruments, his latest love being the Roland Handsonic which can play almost 500 different sounds. He is equally comfortable with other ethnic percussion instruments like the Dholak, Darbukka, Djembe, Pakhawaj etc.
	Bipasha Mukherjee ('Queen B') Popular Seattle figure who specializes in the sultry Asha Bhonsle voice. She is one of the original members of the band and is well-known to the local community. She has a strong (and vocal) fan following and almost always brings the crowd to their feet. Self-styled designated caretaker of any cute lil’ ones she can come across!
Bhushan Khanal Born in Kathmandu Nepal, where the exposure to a variety of music at a very early age drove him to pick up the guitar. He was one of the founding members of the well-known Nepali band "Crossroads", who for better or for worse, were also known as the NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) of Nepal. When not hanging out with Monica and daughter Avaani, he can be found teaching his son Varun how to play air guitar.
	Ganga Narayanan Latest addition to Shruti in the singing department! Being born and brought up in Mumbai, Ganga was exposed to a lot of cultural and musical talents at a very early age. She is a trained Carnatic classical singer and was a finalist at the Zee SaReGaMaPa USA 2008 series. She holds great interest and passion in Indian music and dance. She loves her family and considers them her biggest support in life!
Gauri Shringarpure A piano player at heart, Gauri is a recent addition to Shruti. As a freelance translator & linguist, she is fluent in 6 languages. When she’s not dabbling with the keyboard or entertaining little Adit & Arjun, you will find her buried in cryptic puzzles, attempting to write humor or randomly experimenting in the kitchen.
Mohan Ananthakrishnan A classically trained musician, Mohan is a familiar face on the Seattle music scene - he has been performing with several bands including Geetanjali and has enthralled audiences with is wonderful voice. He also has a few albums to his credit. His album, "Lal Subah" got recognized on blogswara recently. In the recent past Mohan took time off to create and record new music.
	Prasanna Ganapule One of the most well-known figures in the Seattle Indian light-music scene, has exemplary voice and music skills. At 18, five years of his training from Mr. Chandrakant Naik (disciple of Pt. Jeetendra Abhisheki) in Pune, built a solid foundation for his voice after which he decided to move into Light music. He has to his credit several award winning performances on popular shows on Zee TV, EL TV, Doordarshan, and All India Radio & over 480 live shows! Also served as a Judge for many talent shows. His favorite activity these days? Working on his upcoming album and playing with his 2 year old son Archit and teaching him to sing and play drums!
Prashant Nair An avid music enthusiast, Prashant enjoys singing and playing his guitar. His mellifluous voice lends itself to a wide range of music. He sings in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu but especially likes to perform A.R.Rahman’s (who he considers God!) compositions. Prashant is also a certified finger style guitarist who loves figuring out and perfecting notes and chords. Prashant has performed at several charity shows in Georgia, Florida, Indiana. You can spot him with his always smiling face on the stage!
	Rajesh Kamath The other half of the Kamath clan in the group, Rajesh dabbles in singing, rhythms, lead and, when all else fails, smiling at the audience. Loves all kinds of Indian and Western music, and will challenge any one in a duel of PJs!
Sanjib Saha A versatile member of the Seattle music community - performed with most local desi bands. Plays Keyboards, Bass, Rhythms, Drums and Flute with equal ease (we have not yet confirmed whether he plays a symphony orchestra all by himself). Hopes his dear M&M’s (Mimi and Medha) will follow his musical footsteps and go far beyond. Easily recognizable by the most regal moustache this side of the Cascades.
	Shriram Nanjundaiah Father to Paarth, Shriram is also completely at home with almost all the acoustic percussive instruments - Dholak, Tabla, triple, bongo. Water polo champ, hard core dancer (at least he thinks so), polyglot, this dude does it all...sometimes all at the same time!
Vivek Venkatachalam Called Vivaldo for his alleged soccer playing skills, Vivek plays the drums like Tiger swings a golf club. Very popular with the locals and always sports a big grin. Every now and then, sends a missile in the form of a flying drumstick towards an unsuspecting band member. He insists it's completely accidental. We're not so sure!
THE EMCEE'S
	Jyoti Raj Poetry is not a purpose but a passion for Jyoti. Likes to rhyme and dream. She loves chit-o-chatting…with friends or an exuberant audience alike. Punjabi by birth and zeal, she loves hikes and outdoors. Very new to Seattle, but she is already in love...with the city of course!
Rahul Lal Man of many voices, Rahul Lal, has been entertaining audiences for years. Stand up comedy and mimicry that started for him in a zest, on the insistence of his friends in Mumbai, has become a part of his personality now. He has pursued this talent in a more serious form and has drenched audiences in Seattle with laughter, as well. Comedy for him is a way of life and in the process he continues to bring smiles on people’s faces.
	Rishi Raje Rishi’s first experience with theatre was at age 5 performing with his mother in street plays across villages in India. Since then he has dabbled in all forms of stagecraft –on and behind the stage. He claims that he once made Sonali Kulkarni cry in a mono-acting competition. When not immersed in a book, he can be found playing ‘love shrink’ to his friends.
SUPPORT
	Samuel Devasahayam Uncle Sam (born on the 4th of July, we kid you not) is Da Bass Dude and conductor for the group. This Chennai dude excels in slapping a bass riff out for the most complicated of songs, though he can also play a mean piano. Always heard murmuring in desi parties - "Mujhe hindi kucch bhi malum naheen hai!" This year, Sam is assisting with the sound mix for the concerts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank our significant others, children, family, and friends for their patience through the months of planning and practice that culminate in the concerts. Without their love and support, these shows would not be possible. Special thanks also to Mohan and Preethi as well as Prashant and Sangeetha for graciously allowing us to practice in their homes. Props to Sriram for updating our website. Our thanks to the CRY and AID volunteers who coordinate the shows with us. Finally, thanks also to the sound engineers Marc (and team) in Portland and Dan (and team) in Seattle. Copyright: Any content from this site cannot be used, published, printed or copied in any form without the explicit written permission of Shruti
Next Event: Shruti presents "Ina Mina Dika" on May 16th, 2009 in Portland and on May 30th, 2009 in Seattle.