Now that Chhandayan has its own concert venue, we will be presenting several All-night Concerts each year at CCIM in New York. These give the opportunity to hear some unusual late night and early morning ragas that are not often heard in the evening and afternoon time slots. The of these first will be held January 9-10, 2027. As we get closer to the event, we will finalize the performances. Check the website for updates.
The event will also be streamed live.
Program:
Aniruddh Srinivasraghavan - vocal
Ramanan Venkatram - Hansaveena
Rohan Misra - Sarangi
Rohan Prabhudesai - Harmonium
Pranav Shikarpur - Bansuri
Tejas Tope - Tabla
Aditya Phatak - Tabla
Neil Khare - Tabla
Manav Khurana - Tabla
Anirudh Srinivasraghavan
Anirudh Srinivasraghavan is an Indian classical vocalist, carrying forward the rich legacy of the Gwalior and Agra Gharanas of Hindustani Classical Music. He has captivated audiences worldwide through solo concerts and innovative performances. He has been training under leading vocalist Pt. Dr. Ram Deshpande (senior disciple of Padma Shri Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar) for 20+ years. For over a decade, he learnt the nuances of solo Harmonium playing under the guidance of Grammy nominated Sitarist Pt. Ravi Chary, a senior disciple of Padma Shri Ustad Shahid Parvez. Anirudh blends his classical repertoire with fusion music, Konnokol (Carnatic mouth percussion) and a variety of semi-classical genres.
As a Tamilian who grew up in Mumbai and lives in NYC now, Anirudh's musical influences are truly global - encompassing all forms of South Asian music as well as Jazz and Western Classical music.
Ramanan Venkatraman
After a brief moment of founding Sadhana School of Music, Dance and Arts, Ramanan started getting fascinated by the sound and beauty of the Sitar. This happened due to the collaboration with Radhika Samson (Sitar Player) & Pranav Ramji (Tabla). Trying to explore the aesthetics and mechanics of a Sitar, the interest and love for Indian Classical Music started to grow back in Ramanan. Occasionally trying to play the Sitar, he figured that the various things and techniques he would try to use to play something in the style of Classical Music, could be done in instances on a Classical Instrument like the sitar. Getting inspired by the amount of knowledge and skill a classical musician possess, he decided to start learning. Radhika, gave him the path to his Guru by inviting him to a concert Guruji was supposed to play in the Aurobindo Ashram. Until then, Ramanan had only heard how beautiful the sound of a Hansaveena is and the make of it is pure hard work and has wonderful aesthetics. The guy who made it is playing etc. but never had seen one in reality or heard it.
"If 'floored to the lowest level possible' is a quote to say, that I was astound and drooling over the sound of the instrument and the various techniques Guruji was playing with, then Floored I was. Not a single day goes by when I can't remember how it was to me, I believe that is what is keeping the drive in me to go ahead with this." says Ramanan.
Shortly after the performance got over and everyone was approaching Guruji, so did Ramanan requesting him to teach him his instrument. Guruji being the most humble man to be alive and the most earthed person, says to him "How can I teach you anything? You should be the one teaching me, tell me when to come.". Shattered by the thought of guilt and shamed by the thought of pride about everything he had achieved, Ramanan couldn't speak a word. He says, "I didn't realize at that instant, what he has trying to do. Later I realised that he was actually trying to help me get over my pride of being a self taught musician and the things I've done. I felt miserable and understood how a True Musician should be. Humility is what takes us to the next level, not Pride. He taught me that.". Pursuing Guruji constantly for almost a couple of months and occasionally requesting him to teach him, every time he met Guruji.
Finally on the 12th of July, 2014, the auspicious day of Guru Poornima, Guruji took Ramanan to Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar's Institute of Music and Performing Arts (RIMPA). Under the mesmerising photograph of the Great Pandit Ravi Shankar, he was taught his first pranaams to the divine Guru by chanting Guru Vandana. Being a part of such a wonderful legacy and the ideals and ideas of these great human beings who had achieved so much because of hard work and knowledge, Ramanan decided to devote everything for it. He slowly started realising the humungous amount of hard work that has been put behind the greatness of the Hansaveena. He says, "An irresistible love and respect came for Guruji and I swore to myself to be the one to ensure that his hard work will be showcased in the best and most appropriate manner to this world when my time comes. Having spent hours and hours of time with my instrument, I still have many avenues to touch and get better at, however, the avenues does not seem to end. There is more and more and more all the time. It is not about competition but the way this instrument is designed, everything that a human requires to bring his emotions out in front of people through sound is available and with great ease. How is that even possible?"
Ramanan was a senior disciple of Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Guruji) and trained in the true Guru Shishya Parampara. On many occasions he has given various performances with the guidance and love from Guruji. The style of playing would mostly be termed as the Senia Maihar Gharana Style, however, Ramanan says that mostly it is Guruji's style, which includes everything from the Gharana without fail, but it also has a touch of his musical sense in such a way that it sounds like a completely different world and side of music altogether.
Rohan Misra
Rohan Misra is a young promising musician, specialized in the unique Indian bowed instrument called the Sarangi. As the son and disciple of great Sarangi virtuoso Pandit Ramesh Misra, Rohan has inherited many of his father-Guru’s specialties, including tonal quality and aesthetic approach.
Rohan Started learning the Sarangi (translation: An instrument with a hundred colors) from his father at the age of six. His exposure to music since early childhood attracted him to learn other Indian instruments as well. He has been learning Tabla from the renowned maestro Samir Chatterjee. Rohan is also pursuing his education in western music, particularly focused on the Piano and Clarinet. Coming out of the family of nine generations of Sarangi players, Rohan aspires to be successful as the 10th generation in his lineage. He also wishes to further his musicality by blending certain aspects of western music into his emblem of Indian classical music and emerge with a unique musical expression.
Rohan has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. He has performed with luminaries such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Samir Chatterjee, among others. He is on the faculty of Chhandayan Center for Indian Music in New York City.
Rohan Prabhudesai
Rohan Prabhudesai has been studying Hindustani and western classical music for the past 21 years and more recently, jazz. In India, he started studying at the Goa Kala Academy and later with Dr. Kedar Naphade, a senior disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar. He studied classical piano with Edwin Lopez, music director of the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian church music program and continued to study classical contemporary composition at NYU Steinhardt and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. He currently is picking up jazz chops from Fred Fischer.
Pranav Shikarpur
Pranav Shikarpur started learning Hindustani flute (Bansuri) from Late Pt. Venkatesh Godkhindi, when he was 7yrs old and continues to learn from Surmani Pt Pravin Godkhindi for the past 9yrs. He was awarded the Center for Cultural Resources and Training scholarship(CCRT) in 2013 for Hindustani Flute. He stood first place for Youth Instrumental Category in Swarashri Music Competition held yearly in Bengaluru. Pranav is a strong believer in music being a universal language and has thus collaborated with musicians and dancers across different genres such as jazz, Carnatic music, Odissi and Bharatanatyam, as well as Bengali folk music.
In addition to his passion for Flute, Pranav has trained in the Hindustani Vocal from Smt. Geetha Hegde and Tabla from Sri Mohan for several years. Pranav graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Maryland and currently works as a developer advocate at a cybersecurity startup.
Tejas Tope
Tejas Tope is an aspiring young Indian percussionist who comes from Long Island New York. Tejas has been learning tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee for over 15 years. Additionally, since 2011, Tejas has been attending classes in the Summer with Ustad Zakir Hussain. At Zakirji's invitation, Tejas performed a tabla solo at the Barsi of Ustad Alla Rakha on February 3, 2018 at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.
Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma for the last 5 years. He has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad.
Tejas received First prize in the instrumental category from 2005-2011 at the annual Vedic Heritage’s Holi Youth Talent Competition held in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. In the summer of 2006, he played at the 6th Marathi European Sammelan in Almelo, Netherlands, at the 13th BMM Convention in Seattle (June 2007), and 15th BMM Convention in Chicago (July 2011). In October 2007, Tejas had his Rangamanch Pravesh and presented tabla solo as a part of Chhandayan Concert Series. Tejas received first prize in the Swardhara Competition held by Marathi Vishwa of New Jersey in 2010 and 2012. Tejas is recipient of Chhandayan’s most prestigious Jyotsna Award in the student category in 2011.
Aditya Phatak
A highly sought-after performer of tabla, Scotch Plains native Aditya was initially inspired by his grandfather Deepak Phatak and guided by his uncle Shivraj Phatak. For more than fifteen years, Aditya has been developing his tabla under the loving mentorship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Over that time, Aditya has performed at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Woodstock Drum Boogie Festival, and the BRM "Ragas Live" festival. Notably, Aditya's tabla was featured in the Grammy-nominated song “Abundance in Millets”, commissioned by Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and written by Indian-American singer-songwriters Falu and Gaurav Shah. Aditya is also an accomplished jazz drummer and Hindustani vocalist, having studied Hindustani Classical vocal music with Smt. Rucha Jambhekar, and more recently, under the guidance of Shri Kiran Lele. Aside from music, Aditya is a senior at Columbia University studying Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.
Neil Khare
Neil Khare started learning tabla at the age of 4 from his father Anil Khare, continued his training from Shri Surakshya Deshpande, and currently learns from Dr. Amod Dandawate. He has accompanied artists such as Srimati Gauri Pathare for her USA 2023 tour, Srimati Aarti Anklikar during her workshop presentation, has played on a New York TV Channel, and has received many awards in the Instrumental solo category. He is a recent graduate from Rutgers University and is working full-time in finance in Philly.
Manav Khurana
Manav Khurana is a talented young tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His musical inclination became apparent at an early age, and his parents encouraged him to learn Dholak, Piano, and other instruments. As a teenager, he was initiated into the world of tabla by his dholak Guru, Shri Roger Sookraj. He soon continued his study of tabla under Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva and Sabir Hussain of the Punjab Gharana. Subsequently, he began his serious training with Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee at the age of 14. In 2023 he became an initiated disciple (shishya) of tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Manav has already performed with some notable performers of Indian Classical Music including, Shri Biplap Mukherjee, Pandit Hindol Chattopadhyay, Pandit Sugato Nag, and his Guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Outside of music, he is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Finance.