SHRUTI

A South Asian Band

Home

Events

The Band

Multi Media

Get to know "Shrutiites" - a team of 14 including 7 vocalists with accompaniments on tablas, dholaks, drums, keyboards, guitars and a variety of other instruments...

	Anitha Kamath Diminutive in size but not in voice, she forms part of a well known group of female singers for Shruti. A Banglorian 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 little Siddharth and baby Tanvi.
Arjun Ohri The youngest member of our troupe, this versatile newcomer can play some mean piano riffs on the keys - but his true love lies in singing a capella (he is often heard singing duets with himself). He also dreams of being a rock star after his current career at an anonymous software company in Redmond, so for starters, he has started growing his hair. Get his autograph now, sell it on Ebay later! .
	Ashish Shanbhag Ashish, though new to Seattle and to Shruti, 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 Siddharth, Tanvi, Parth and any cute lil’ ones she can come across!
	Chandrika Shankarnarayan ('C') A mountaineering aficionado and an avid outdoors person, Chandrika is a classically trained musician and loves dabbling with all kinds of musical instruments. Also plays many small percussion instruments to spice up a song, if the need arises. When she is not doing music, you'll find her busy training for the next big challenge in physical fitness! Oh, and she is known to occasionally be victim of strange guitar accidents on stage during Shruti performances!
Meera Krishna ('Meeya') A Carnatic classical singer and Bharatanatyam dancer, Meera is Shruti's answer to Shubha Mudgal. Her notable Shruti performances include "Bole Na Piya" and "Man Ke Manjeere" and ..... "Choli Ke Peeche". OK, we don't quite know how that last one happened, but it was impressive anyway! A mountaineer, wife to Neelesh, mother to li'l Rasan and probably Mayor of Seattle if there were more hours in a day. Always exclaims "Krishna!" when jolted by sudden noises or movement, which makes practices fun...
	Neelesh Kamkolkar ('Naalu') Proud papa to little Rasan, Naalu is one of the singers for the group. He's also the Beat Man - plays drums, triple, bongo, Dalda dabba and possibly frying pan. He is one of the most recognizable figures on stage - brings 'tude, swagger and showmanship to his performance!
Prasanna Ganapule ('CutePras') One of the most well-known figures in the Seattle Indian light-music scene, has exemplary voice and music skills. A member of most of the top Indian bands in the area, he brings an invaluable contribution to any performance. Other than being a vocalist, he also specializes in the keyboards and general musical effects, including sometimes trying to be conversationally multi-lingual!
	Prasanna Veeraswamy ('Studoo') The designated heartthrob of the group, this Pilani grad plays the lead guitar with exquisite skills (and used to have the hair to match!). Loves to play Jazz,Rock and Funk - leads a group called "East India Company" that performs in the Seattle area. Loves posing for the Camera!
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!
	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!"
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!
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 April 26th 2008 at Kane Hall, #130, University of Washington.