Abhinay Ravande comes from a family with a musical background in the kirtan tradition from Nanded. He received his initial training in playing the harmonium as well as in vocal music from his father, Shri Laxmikant Ravande. For the past ten years, he has been learning harmonium under the tutelage of Pandit Pramod Marathe at the Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Pune. A recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships, such as the Blue Star Award from NCPA, D G Marathe Yuva Vadak Puraskar and V D Paluskar Scholarship among others, he has performed with many maestros including Padmavibhushan Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj and Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar. He has also been a part of the Idea Jalsa series and performed in music festivals across India, including 8 Prahar, Mumbai, Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh, Hyderabad; Thiba Festival, Ratnagiri; and Saptak Festival, Ahmedabad.

Abhishek Sekhri is a music producer, mix engineer and founder of the New Delhi based Kintsugi Studios. Having worked as a producer for over seven years with more than a 100 artists, collectives and bands from India, USA, Canada, Europe and Brazil, he is constantly looking to broaden his experience, expertise and new learning. Apart from producing music for others, he also has an independent music project called 'Goya', a space that seeks to express, emote and tell a story.

An established tabla player of the younger generation of Indian classical musicians, Ajinkya Joshi began his initial training at the age of seven under Pandit Shantilal Shah. His parents, through their passion for music, inspired him to pursue the tabla as a profession. At the age of 16, he moved to Mumbai and underwent intensive training with Taal-Yogi Padmashree Pandit Suresh Talwalkar in the guru-shishya parampara. A recipient of the Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award in 1999, he has also been awarded the National Scholarship for young artists by the Government of India. Joshi has accompanied various artists of Indian classical music, such as Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Smt. Shama Bhate, Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, Smt. Arati Anklikar and Smt. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande. He has also performed in major classical festivals in India and around the world, including in the U.S.A., Canada, Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong and England.

Hailed as "the new king of Indian classical violin" by The Times of India, Ambi Subramaniam began his training at the age of three under his father and guru Dr. L Subramaniam. He gave his first performance at the age of seven and was awarded a ‘Golden Violin’ from Shri Jayendra Saraswati when he was 18. Along with his sister Bindu, he runs the SaPa in Schools programme, which teaches music to over 30,000 students across the world. He also co-hosts The SaPa Show on Sankara TV, which teaches global music to young children.

Formed by his singer/songwriter sister Bindu Subramaniam and himself, SubraMania fuses traditional Indian music with elements of Pop, Rock and Jazz, to create contemporary world music. In addition to creating their own material in English and traditional Indian languages, SubraMania works with well-known classics and jazz standards to interpret them in a completely new light.

Amritha Murali has trained under Shri K R Kedaranathan, Smt Meera Kedaranathan, Smt Rama Ravi and Shri P S Narayanaswamy. She is currently under the tutelage of Shri R K Shriramkumar for vocal music and Smt. T Rukmini for the violin. She has performed for many premier institutions and centres all over India and abroad. Murali is also the recipient of several awards, such as the Kala Ratna from the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. She has, today, gained much acclaim and recognition within the music fraternity.

Annette Philip is an award-winning musician, educator, and arts entrepreneur. A versatile vocalist with roots in Kerala, she is known for her dense choral arrangements and concept-driven productions. A seasoned recording and touring artist, Philip is a composer, pianist, voice-over actor, Emmy-nominated TV personality, and bonafide sari connoisseur.

In 2003, she founded Artistes Unlimited (AU) in New Delhi, India, a performing arts collective that infused a collaborative spirit among city musicians while introducing a cappella music to their audiences. Philip took this mission global, performing with Grammy-winning legends including A R Rahman, Bill Whelan, Nona Hendryx, and Zakir Hussain, besides spending a decade touring with award-winning, internationally acclaimed vocal quartet, Women of the World; disruptors in the a cappella world, singing in 37 languages and counting.

She serves as Executive and Artistic Director for India Initiatives at Berklee College of Music, where she founded the Berklee Indian Ensemble in 2011.

Apoorva Krishna is a leading Carnatic musician and has performed alongside legendary musicians including Ustaad Zakir Husain, John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan, William Cepeda, Bombay Jayashri and Aruna Sairam. Trained in Carnatic violin for nearly 20 years, Krishna became the first Indian to receive the Young Artist Grant from Tarisio, London.

An All India Radio A-Graded artist, 'Kalavanta', 'Naadbhed', and Berlin Rising Star awardee, Krishna graduated with a Masters and Post Masters Fellowship from Berklee College of Music, Valencia and Boston. She has performed the popular Shakti masterpiece Lotus Feet with the Grammy winner John McLaughlin and legend Ustad Zakir Hussain. Her contemporary fusion album Intuition combines Indian Classical influences with Latin-jazz, Flamenco, Western Classical, Waltz, Bluegrass, and Jazz-fusion.

Krishna has also performed over 500 concerts at national and international music festivals and venues such as Poland Jazz Jantar Festival, Madrid Sony Auditorium, Melbourne Recital Center, Harvard University Klarman Hall, Bangalore Gayana Samaja, NCPA Mumbai and New Delhi India Habitat Centre, to name a few.

Apurv Vinay David is a well known percussionist and established artist who has trained under Guru Pandit Nana Mule, Pandit Ramdas Palsule and Rohit Mujumdar for tabla; as well as Krishna Musale for dholaki and other percussion instruments. He plays various percussion instruments like the tabla, dholak, dholaki, pakhawaj, and duff. He has accompanied many established artists including Sangeet Martand Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, Smt. Manjusha Patil, and the Carnatic classical and Bollywood singer, Padmashree Bombay Jayashree. He has also accompanied many famous artists in the film industry like Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Smt. Usha Mangeshkar and Mahalaxmi Iyer. He has, additionally, participated in various prestigious festivals like the Sawai Gandharv Mahotsav, Swarzankar Mahotsav, Bolava Vitthal India tour and the Kirtan Mahotsav in Dubai.

Arati Rao is a singer, songwriter, artist, producer, and an ad film and music professional. She hails from a family of musicians, with her mother being a semi-classical Hindustani vocalist, Kamla Sista, and sister, pop Diva Suneeta Rao.

She has sung for advertising jingles and worked with well known musicians including Louis Banks, Leslie Lewis, Ehsaan Noorani, Zubin Balaporia and Jo Alvares.

After moving to Bangalore, Rao created the first Avatar of her project, KAYA, which presented a 'smorgasbord' of jazz, funk, soul and blues as well as contemporary pop-rock and she also fronted her own jazz and blues quartet. Rao is also one of the founders of and has handled the programme curation at Bangalore's bFLAT Bar, a highly respected live music venue. Through bFLAT, Rao fulfilled her vision of creating a platform for quality, live music in Bengaluru. Her musical style is a melange of all her musical influences, both Indian and Western.

Armand Hutton is a bass singer, songwriter, producer, and Grammy-nominated arranger who resides in Nashville, TN. The Maryland native has performed with Take 6, Quincy Jones, Ludacris, Lionel Richie, Michael Bublé, and Coldplay. Hutton has done session work for Disney, WORD, Robert Randolph, and is the bass singer for YouTube sensation Peter Hollens. Along with session work Hutton has recorded two audiobooks, volunteer-teaches a songwriting class for middle schoolers on a weekly basis, is now a member of Street Corner Symphony, and runs his own record label, Hutton Records.

Kalaivanan Kannan, also known as Mc Artslord, is a Mumbai-based independent Tamizh rapper, actor and beatboxer. Artslord featured in Viveick Rajagopalan’s Ta Dhom Project, where he experimented with rap and the mridangam konnakol, and in Yash Raj Film's Hichki. He has performed in several national and international festivals such as Shambala, Womad, Osla Mela, Womex and Spoken fest.

Widely considered the best and most versatile drummer in India, Arun Kumar has adapted his Carnatic classical percussion sensibilities to the western drum set. Having played with some of the finest musicians in the Indian music scene and beyond, Kumar has developed an unparalleled style of drumming that can only be called his own.

Considered to be a child prodigy, 11-year-old Ashwin Sundararajan has been learning the piano since he was four years old. He has been a student of Theme Music Institute at Bengaluru, training under Ashwin Prabhakaran.

A vocalist and voice alchemy facilitator, Ayumi Ueda combines her voice with the therapeutic healing sounds of crystal singing bowls to create new age, meditative music. Born and raised in Tokyo, Ueda started singing with her father at the age of four. Influenced by myriad genres such as folk, country, and ethnic music from all over the world, at age 14 she decided to pursue a career in music after winning the first prize on NHK-TV's popular Japanese programme, Nodojiman Singer Competition. In 2001, she spent a month in Australia as a junior diplomat, understanding aboriginal culture and music. In January 2007, she enrolled in Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA) with a scholarship from Berklee's North American World Scholarship Tour. In 2008, she founded a Boston-based award-winning international vocal ensemble, Women of the World.

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is one of the hippest performance acts to emerge from Boston. A global viral sensation with over 255 million streams, the Ensemble melds classical, folk, sufi, and contemporary Indian music, with influences ranging from hip-hop and jazz to Middle Eastern and African flavours. Founded in 2011, by Indian Berklee alumna and faculty member Annette Philip, the Ensemble provides an open and inclusive creative space for musicians from all over the world to explore, study, interpret, and create music influenced by the rich and varied mosaic that is Indian music today.

From a decade of iconic live concerts with immersive technology, and headlining international festivals, to hosting global music workshops, and creating new pathways for Indian culture to be shared worldwide, the Berklee Indian Ensemble has risen to prominence as one of the most storied musical collectives in the country with their unmistakable signature sound, and legendary collaborations with A R Rahman, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shreya Ghoshal, Shankar Mahadevan, Vijay Prakash, Indian Ocean, and Clinton Cerejo, to name a few.

Shri Bhugra Khan Manganiar was born in Tallo Ka Gaon, a village in Rajasthan, and imbibed the rich musical tradition of the region at an early age. He received his formal training in folk music from Shri Gafoor Khan Manganiar.

As a khartal player, he has accompanied leading musicians including Shri Krishan Mohan Bhatt, Shrimati Kumudani Lakhiya, Shri Shujaat Khan, Shri Anindo Chatterjee, Shri Sultan Khan and Shri Shankar Mahadevan. He has performed extensively in major national and international festivals in London, Thailand, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Australia, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Yemen, Stockholm and Sri Lanka. He has recorded several Manganiar folk songs and is a recipient of the 2015 Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi for his notable talent in the field of folk music of Rajasthan. He was also honoured by the World Book of Records U.K. in the year 2020.

Bindu Subramaniam is a singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, author, and music educator. Described as a “third generation prodigy” by the Hindustan Times, she first performed on stage at the age of 12 with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway. Since then, she has composed and performed multiple original tracks. In 2011, she released her first solo album, Surrender, which was nominated for a GiMA (Global Indian Music Awards).

She is the Dean of the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa), an Institute that trains musically inclined children to become professional performers. In 2013, along with her brother and violinist/composer Ambi Subramaniam, she started a fusion band - SubraMania. SubraMania has performed live in many cities across India and toured in seven European countries.

Subramaniam holds a masters’ degree in law from London University, a masters’ certificate in songwriting and music business from Berklee College of Music, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Education.

Carlton Braganza is a restaurateur, artist, photographer, designer, writer and entertainer. He is well known for having started Opus in Bengaluru which defined the live music scene in the country. Braganza is also the founder of a small events, entertainment and creative company called Trump it. During the lockdown, he connected with people from across the globe through his initiative Jukebox Jammies, a one hour virtual party, which received over 10M+ views across Facebook and Youtube. Braganza has been featured on the homepage of the Rolling Stone Magazine and was felicitated at the recently held INCA India Awards 2021 for his contributions during the pandemic.

Chandrika Tandon is a recognised business leader, humanitarian, and Grammy-nominated artist. As a composer and vocalist, she has produced several albums, of which Soul Call was nominated for a Grammy award. She has also performed in major venues around the world, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she staged her most recent album’s (Shivoham - The Quest) world premiere.

Along with her passion for the arts, Tandon is a champion for access to education, and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees (New York University) and Chair of the Board of NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. As one of the earliest women leaders in business, Tandon has also transformed several financial institutions through her own advisory firm, Tandon Capital Associates.

Dipak is a graduate of IIM Calcutta, with over three decades of experience in business, brands and retail. Having started off as a banker, he has spent the past 30+ years in brand-building, in advertising agencies and in retail. He has also held the position of CEO in one of the business formats of Reliance Retail.

Chart-topping children’s recording and performing artist, Doctor Noize is known for his unique combination of exuberant joy, high-quality production, revered guest musicians, and narrative musical structure. Having performed several virtuosic one-man-band shows, he sings and plays a host of instruments, which he uses to loop, record and write songs with his audiences on the spot. His diverse performances range from acoustic shows and book readings in smaller venues to groundbreaking symphony performances such as his acclaimed work Phineas McBoof Crashes the Symphony which introduced newcomers to the wide world of orchestral music.

Dr. Tanvi Goswami is a vocalist of Hindustani Classical and semiclassical music. She has been under the tutelage of Sangeet Natak Academy Award winner Pandit Devashish Dey of Varanasi, a vocalist-guru-composer of international repute. She is NET qualified and has completed her PhD in music from faculty of performing arts, BHU. She has won top prizes at a number of competitions of national level, including the Doverlane music competition, UP Sangeet Natak Academy competitions, and the Pratima Devi Memorial Award organised by Doverlane music conference and Pratima Chandra Foundation. She has also been awarded Junior Fellowship and the HRD National Scholarship by the Govt of India. A graded artist of radio and Doordarshan, Goswami has performed across India in Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Noida, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Raipur, Kanpur and Kolkata, as well as on several online platforms during the pandemic.

One of the most popular Indie bands in North India, Faridkot is a Sufi/blues rock band from Delhi, centering their music around funk rhythms and bluesy Indipop vocals. Formed in 2008, Faridkot consists of IP Singh, a sought after singer and lyrics writer in Bollywood and the advertising industry, and Rajashri Sanyal, soundtrack composer and one of the finest guitar players in the country. Faridkot is best remembered as the finalists of Channel V’s music reality show Launchpad in 2009. The band released their debut album Ek to tremendous critical acclaim.

Gautam Das Baul is a member of a mystic music tradition that dates back several centuries. Primarily located in the regions of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, the Bauls belong to an unorthodox devotional tradition, influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Bengali, Vasinavism and Sufi Islam, yet distinctly different from them. A nonconformist sect having gurus (mentors) but no dogmas, rituals, religious institutions or scriptures, the Bauls define their path to God or spirituality through their music and poetry. "In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The Bauls of Bengal have kept their philosophies alive for many centuries, but modern demands threaten their simple, enlightened lifestyles."

Born and raised in Port Chester, New York, Glenn Zottola started playing trumpet at age three. The prodigy made his first appearance as a soloist at age nine with the Westchester Community Orchestra, under the baton of his father. Eventually recording 30 albums both as a leader and with many jazz legends, and touring nationally and internationally with all-star groups, the list of musicians he has played or recorded with includes Gerry Mulligan, Chick Corea, Milt Hinton, Bob Wilber, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Zoot Sims, Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennet.

Founder, inhouse playwright and artistic director of JustUs Repertory, Dr. Gowri Ramnarayan uses modern techniques to evolve multi-genre theatre performances in a global context and represent the complexities of modern life. Her work is a rare amalgam of aesthetics and scholarship.

Formerly Deputy Editor, The Hindu, and vocal accompanist to the legendary Carnatic musician M S Subbulakshmi, Ramnarayan has authored children’s books, a biography, and an anthology of plays (Dark Horse). She has also translated the plays of eminent Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar and served on the Fipresci Jury in international film festivals in Europe. She scripted, narrated, and taught songs to The Chicago Children’s Choir for a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th anniversary, 2019, and was artistic director of Cosmic Breath, a dance theatre performance commissioned by Kalaa Utsavam, Esplanade Theatre, 2015.

She is now Chairperson, Rukmini Devi Arundale Trust, and Adjunct Faculty, Asian College of Journalism.

Hai Phuong plays a traditional single-stringed Vietnamese instrument called the dan bau. While the earliest written records of the dan bau date its origin to 1770, scholars estimate its age to be up to one thousand years older than that. A popular legend of its beginning tells of a blind woman playing it in the market to earn a living for her family while her husband was at war. Whether this tale is true or not, the fact remains that the dan bau has historically been played by blind musicians. Until recent times, its soft volume limited the musical contexts in which it could be used. Though with changing technologies, its sound can be amplified and used in newer contexts today.

IndianRaga is the largest global platform for Indian performing arts, with operations in more than 40 cities and seven countries. It has the largest following on social media for India's classical and contemporary arts, with over 700 videos viewed by more than 100 million audiences across 65 countries. With an average audience age of 25, IndianRaga's social media channels are one of the most engaging platforms for Indian performing arts, introducing diverse audiences to an exciting world of art and collaboration. IndianRaga has been featured by iconic brands such as United Nations, World Government Summit, TEDx, TimesGroup, Lincoln Center, Chicago Cultural Center, MIT, NPR, Bank of Tokyo and KPMG.

Artists of IndianRaga, also known as IndianRaga Fellows, are handpicked through a rigorous and transparent screening process. They are then guided and mentored to produce world-class collaborations at the IndianRaga Fellowship.

Popularly known for being the lead vocalist of the band ‘Fardikot’, IP Singh has been in the music scene as a composer, lyricist and singer for the past 11 years. Riding the early success of the album Ek, he has nearly 500 shows under his belt. He has won many accolades for his live shows, where he has shared the stage with the likes of Midival Punditz, Karsh Kale, Indian Ocean, Noorie, and many more esteemed artists.

Born in 1988 in London, Jatinder Singh Durhailay received a Bachelor of the Arts from University of the Arts London in 2011 and has been active as a painter since. His paintings depicting Indian Sikh culture, colourful drawings and watercolour works have drawn considerable attention.

Durhailay’s work has appeared in exhibitions including Warrior Saints (2013, National Army Museum, Chelsea, London), Gin and Juice (2012, Gallery Ivory and Black, London), and also sold at Scope Miami Art Basel in 2012. His work, which cannot be narrowly defined simply as contemporary Indian art or British contemporary painting, has gathered attention around the world with collectors in Europe, Asia and the USA.

Durhailay is also trained in Indian classical music, performing and practicing kirtan as well as playing among others, rare instruments such as the dilruba and taus.

Jim Kino West is recognised as one of the world’s top ‘slack key’ guitarists and brings his own unique musical perspective to this great acoustic guitar tradition.

In 1985, after a long summer on the road with musical satirist ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, West made his first trip to Hana, Maui and fell in love with the cultural and physical landscape of Hawai’i, sometimes spending a couple months, and even a year there. It was there that he also discovered ki ho ‘elu or as it is more commonly called, the ‘slack key’ guitar. This is an old Hawaiian style of playing where the strings are loosened or ‘slacked’ to different tunings, allowing the bass, chords and melody to be played simultaneously.

West was already a fan of playing in altered, non- standard tunings, and quickly fell in love with the gentle spirit of slack key and the great sense of discovery that comes with exploring new tunings. Instead of concentrating on learning the standard riffs and songs he developed his own slack key vocabulary, which now defines his very unique approach to this great tradition.

A neo-folk fusion band that plays the poetry of the 15th Century Indian mystic, Kabir, in a substrate of Indian folk music, mixed with Carnatic music and other contemporary genres of Rock, Reggae, and Pop.

Kabir Cafe has played at over 700 shows since the birth of the band in 2013 and toured 11 countries, including Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, Israel, USA, UK, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Russia, and Australia. Their songs Fakiri and Hoshiyar Rehna have featured in the Bollywood movies Hindi Medium and Badshaho respectively. The band has now been empaneled into the prestigious ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations) and has been featured on BBC World Service’s The Arts Hour on Tour. Kabir Cafe is among the top three folk-fusion / Indie bands in India, alongside Indian Ocean and Raghu Dixit Project.

Kamini Sawhney is the first Director of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bangalore. She has brought together a young, inspired team that is focused on creating a new museum experience for audiences in India.

In her earlier role, Sawhney was the head of the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation. Bringing institutions together in collaborative projects has been one of her special skills, enabling audiences in India the opportunity to enjoy several exhibitions in collaboration with Tate, London, Foam, Amsterdam, the Duke University, Durham, the KNMA, New Delhi and more. Sawhney was selected as one of the first candidates for the Brooks fellowship at Tate Modern, London in 2014 in collaboration with the Delfina Foundation.

In a previous avatar as journalist and television anchor, Sawhney was the Bureau Chief of NDTV, Mumbai, one of India’s leading news channels where she reported on a whole range of events, both political and cultural.

Kanishk Seth is an Indian indie-electronic artist, producer, composer and singer. His work is a balanced fusion of modern electronic music and Indian classical compositions. Visually-driven, his songs are always accompanied by music videos that are refreshing and conceptually diverse. He has three TEDx talks, numerous award nominations, an international film and over 100 live concerts across countries including at Jashn-e-Rekhta, the world’s biggest Urdu festival, to his name. He recently graduated with a Masters degree from Berklee College of Music, Valencia.

Born into an illustrious musical family, Seth has composed, produced and sung over 100 songs for feature films, ads, music videos, albums and singles. He made his musical debut in 2014 when he released Trance With Khusrow, the world's first sufi-electronic album with Sony Music India. The album was nominated alongside Grammy award winner A R Rahman in the ‘Best Fusion’ category at the Great Indian Music Academy Awards in 2015.

Karthik Mani hails from a family of musicians, with his father, Tas Mani, being a renowned percussionist of The Karnataka College of Percussion, and his mother, R A Ramamani, a reputed Carnatic vocalist who has performed all over the world and pioneered the genre of Carnatic-Jazz fusion. Mani has worked extensively in the genres of Folk Rock, Jazz, Carnatic, Hindustani, and Percussion ensembles and is a part of SubraMania.

He has performed at various prestigious festivals across the world and with musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Hariharan, Padmashree Dr. L Subramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan, Padmashree Kavita Krishnamurthy, and Carnatic maestro Mandolin U Sreenivas. He is the first Indian percussionist to win the Independent World Music Award for World Fusion.

A name synonymous with sufi music in this country, Kavita Seth made her musical Bollywood debut in 2004 with the song Maula from Vaada and went on to perform popular songs such as Iktara in Wake Up Sid. Besides her successful oeuvre in Bollywood, she has also rendered her voice to songs in the Hollywood venture Trishna. A post graduate in Hindustani Classical music, Seth shares pristine sufi renditions through her numerous music albums – Ek Din (Universal Music), OM (Sa Re Ga Ma), Sufiaana (Times Music), Kabirana Sufiana (EMI), Bulleshah (EMI), Jaam-e-Sufi (Hungama Digital), Khuda Wohi Hai (Times Music) and Trance with Khusrow (Sony Music). She is the recipient of several awards, including Filmfare, IIFA, Stardust, and three awards by GIMA (Global Indian Music Academy). She has performed at various events and festivals across India such as the Commonwealth Games, Aman Ki Asha organised by The Times of India, Lucknow Festival, and Jodhpur RIFF at Mehrangarh Fort.

Tarik ‘Konshens The MC’ Davis is a hip-hop artist, songwriter, educator, and youth advocate from Washington D.C. He is currently a Grammy Museum Teaching Artist, and U.S. Cultural Ambassador (State Department). He is also the MC of ‘Classically Dope’, which merges hip-hop lyrics with original classical arrangements, along with being the MC for HipHop Band ‘Konshens & his State of Mind’. He’s recently performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and has been featured on Fox, ABC, and CBS networks, the Washingtonian Magazine, and more. As an artist and innovator, Konshens The MC stands at the forefront of the evolution of hip-hop.

Krithika Sreenivasan is a noted classical vocalist from Bengaluru and Special Projects Executive at the Indian Music Experience (IME). A Karnatik vocalist and an engineering graduate, Sreenivasan comes with years of training and experience both in performing and teaching music. She has co-authored a book on musicians Alpayushyada Mahan Sadhakaru-Sangeetagaararu (Musicians who died young) in Kannada.

In her role as a Special Projects Executive and a part of the curatorial team at IME, Sreenivasan has worked on the curation of media for the interactives at the Museum, and also Ravi shankar@100: India's global musician, a centennial exhibition on the sitar maestro. She has also been involved in creating the notations on T Chowdiah in English for the digital archive.

Lonnie Park is a vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, engineer, producer, Grammy^® nominee, and plays a wide variety of instruments. Along with his solo career, and various collaborations, Park is the lead singer of the band ‘Ten Man Push’. Park has also produced commissioned music for causes such as Autism Works, Autism Movement, Puzzle Solvers.

Mahesh Raghvan is a Carnatic music fusion artist whose artistic goal is to present and create Indian Classical fusion music in contemporary ways for modern audiences. He plays new electronic musical instruments and is popular for playing Indian Classical music on the iPad. He has an MSc. in Digital Composition and Performance from the University of Edinburgh. Besides his specialisation, he is extremely passionate about related fields such as visual arts, mobile application development, digital media, sound design and film. He is the Creative Director of IndianRaga, and also works with major music technology companies to make Indian Classical music available on their hardware/software. Besides being a performing musician, he also gives music technology related workshops at various universities and schools.

Manasi Prasad is a noted classical vocalist from Bengaluru and the Director of the Indian Music Experience Museum (IME).

She has learnt Carnatic classical music from renowned gurus such as R K Padmanabha in Bengaluru and Sriram Parasuram in Chennai. She started performing concerts at the age of nine and since then has performed widely in India and across the world. She is a recipient of several awards in music, including the prestigious Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Govt. of India. An engineering graduate, she has been recognised as one of the 35 'Indians of Tomorrow' by the India Today publications.

In her role as Museum Director at IME, Prasad conceptualised and curated the nine permanent exhibits at the Museum. She also co-curated Ravi Shankar@100: India's global musician, a centennial exhibition on the sitar maestro. Manasi has also been involved in reviving the compositions and creating an online digital archive of violin maestro, Mysore T. Chowdiah.

Mukta Joshi entered into the musical world early in her childhood, having been trained under her mother, Manjiri Joshi, a trained classical singer herself. Joshi trained further under Sudha Bhalerao for a few years, and her quest for knowledge brought her to the prominent exponent of the Mewati Gharana, Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar. She has been fortunate to be accepted as his student, and has been expanding her knowledge base and also learning the finer nuances of performance under his able guidance for the last three years.

Joshi completed her Masters in Sanskrit from Savitribai Phule Pune University and Sangeet Visharad (Vocal) from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Miraj in 2014. She is now pursuing a postgraduate degree in Music (Hindustani Classical) under the guidance of her Guru, Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar.

Niazi Nizami Brothers, the brainchild of Qadar Niazi, is a live act based out of the capital city of India, New Delhi. The members of the group include Niazi's own sons, Asim Haider and Amir Hasan.

Having gained his name from his renowned father, Ustad Inam Ahmed Khan, Niazi gave his first performance at seven years of age and has been performing ghazals and bhajans ever since. A radio and TV vocalist, he has performed at the Sahitya Kala Parishad and Urdu Academy and also in movies like Kanjoos and Khosla Ka Ghosla.

Niazi hails from the group of Gharana artists and rumoured qawwals who customarily delighted in the support of Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. He fits in with the legendary Hapur Gharana which produced India’s musical giants, such as Ustad Kubre Mohammad Khan, Ustad Shaadi Khan and Ustad Murad Khan. One of the most sought after qawwali vocalists in India, Niazi has performed across the globe.

Nikhil Narendra is an electronic music producer and sound designer based out of Bangalore, India. As one half of the duo, Nikhil Narendra & Shreyas Dipali, he has performed at venues and festivals across the country including The Magnetic Fields festival, Echoes Of Earth, Indie March and others.

Nithin M Menon is a Kochi-born Malayalee musician, sound healer and an aspiring actor. He completed his Diploma in Music Performance from Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music and has a Diploma in Music Therapy from the Chennai School of Music Therapy. He is also trained in Konnakol (verbal percussion) under the guidance of mridangam maestro Shri Prapancham Ravindran. Menon used to perform as a percussionist with Masala Coffee and has worked independently with various bands in South India like Mind Map and High Definition, as well as co- founded Jatayu along with Carnatic guitarist Shylu Ravindran.

His inclination towards instrumental music made him want to explore various sounds and combinations through which he came across the handpan. He incorporates the principles of Konnakol into playing percussion instruments which brings out a very interesting South Indian Carnatic side to these otherwise non-traditional percussion instruments. Menon is also a part of the acclaimed instrumental band called Shanka Tribe.

Penn Masala is the world’s first Hindi a cappella group, pioneering the fusion of Western Pop and South Asian melodies, using their voices as instruments. In both the United States and abroad, Penn Masala has performed at a range of notable occasions, from President Obama’s Diwali celebration to the International Indian Film Academy Awards. They have released 11 full length studio albums and achieved over 60 million listens across the Internet, entertaining fans from around the globe. Furthermore, Penn Masala was featured in the comedy film American Desi and in the major motion picture Pitch Perfect 2.

Praveen Sparsh is one of the most sought after mridangam exponents in the field of Carnatic music today. Having trained in playing the mridangam under Guruvayur Sri Dorai from the age of five, he has accompanied many leading Carnatic musicians. Sparsh is now also a multi percussionist and a music producer who has scored and performed music for plays, ad jingles and short films. He has toured the United States extensively, and several countries across the globe including Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, France, Amsterdam, Singapore, Malaysia, Srilanka, Jakarta, Sydney, Melbourne, Israel and Palestine. His perception of music is as nuanced as it is precise, and his boundless artistic curiosity reflects in his wide array of musical explorations.

Purvaa Sampath is the founder and director of Mayahs’ Universe and a graduate from Berklee College of Music. She is one of the few CBMT Board-certified music therapists and neurologic music therapists in the country. With a dual degree in music therapy and performance, Purvaa has had the opportunity to practice as a student music therapist in some of the top institutions like Perkins School for the Blind, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts, USA.

In Bengaluru, she works as a consulting music therapist with multiple institutions like FAME India which caters to individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, and Sukino Healthcare which is a residential neuro-rehab facility. In addition to this, she also works with clients at Mayahs’ Universe’s therapy space based in central Bengaluru. Sampath also teaches music therapy as part of a PG diploma programme at Women’s Christian College, Chennai and St. Xaviers College, Mumbai.

Rahul Nadkarni is a musician and composer from Mumbai, best known for his work as the guitarist for the indie outfit, SkyRabbit and his solo live electronic project, SnowShoe. His previous collaborations include projects with British Council, Arts Council England, IOMMa Reunion Island, Goethe Institut, Found Sound Nation, Ableton Live, Harman International, Native Instruments and Gibson Guitars. His current practice explores acousmatic music using PureData and IanniX.

A musician-storyteller, Raman Iyer has travelled and performed in over 12 countries. He is the co-composer of the music in the popular Bollywood movies Baadshaho and Hindi Medium (2017), as well as the web series Scam 1992 (2020). Prior to this, Iyer has worked extensively in advertising as a writer and a creative director. He also runs an audio-only podcast on his Instagram page in which he narrates stories and intersperses them with the strains of the mandolin.

Ricky Kej is an internationally renowned Indian music composer, environmentalist and professor. Kej has dedicated his life and music to creating awareness on the environment, and positive social impact. A Grammy winner and US Billboard #1 artist, he has performed at prestigious venues in over 30 countries, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Geneva. His past repertoire of work includes 21 studio albums released internationally, over 3500 commercials and 4 feature films, including the natural history documentary Wild Karnataka narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

During his musical career, Kej has associated and collaborated with artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Peter Gabriel, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary), Soweto Gospel Choir, Philip Lawrence (Bruno Mars), Roger Waters, and Shankar Mahadevan. He has numerous awards to his credit, such as the United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist award, the Global Indian Music Award and Mirchi Music Awards (India).

Rima Das is the founder and producer of Flying River Films which brings forth human stories that transcend boundaries and create conversations. Her films explore indigenous and realistic stories that speak of complicated relationships, finding purpose and coming of age. She has worn multiple hats of writer, director, producer, cinematographer, as well as editor for her films Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing. Named as one of GQ’s Most Influential Young Indians of 2018, Das has been on the jury of Berlin International Film Festival Generation 14plus, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Mumbai International Film Festival and Zlin Film Festival for Children & Youth.

Her film Village Rockstars bagged over 50 Awards including the National Film Awards 2018 for the Best Feature Film and was India's Official Entry to the Academy Awards 'Oscars' 2019. Bulbul Can Sing won the National Film Award for the Best Assamese Film and the Special Mention - Generation 14plus at Berlinale.

Ritu VK is a musician, dancer and writer based in Bengaluru. After having worked as a school counsellor and Psychology teacher for over six years, she switched professions to become a full-time artist. She has studied the art of DJ-ing at The Music School, Bengaluru, after which she performed at multiple venues across the city. She participated in a residency at Knowhere, Bengaluru, where she created a property called 'Retro Fridays’. She has even performed at various events organised by VH1 Supersonic, Bacardi, SoMad, Steppin Out and Junket.

Her music ranges in the genres of Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Afrohouse, Dancehall, Retro, and Commercial music. Additionally, she is also one of the few female breakdancing artists in the city, having started her journey in 2009. She has featured in advertisements by renowned brands including Puma, Jockey, Kappa and 2GoActivewear. She currently teaches hip hop dancing at Lourd Vijay's Dance Studio in Bengaluru.

Sadhana Rao is a research-led writer and curator in the arts and culture space. She has written on arts, film festivals, music, crafts, travel, literature, and socio-economics for leading newspapers, magazines and journals including The Hindu, The Economic Times, Deccan Chronicle, Tehelka and Housecalls. Her writing style knits history with the literary, and the classical with the contemporary.

Building on the plinth of her research and writing experience, Rao has been a contributor, curator, speaker and moderator for music, literature, art and film segments at festivals and platforms, including Mahindra Kabira Festival, Cannes Film Festival, AVID Learning, Royal Opera House Mumbai, Think Fest, Bangalore Literature Festival, Bangalore International Centre, Jaipur Literature Festival, FICCI - Creative Industries as well as corporate summits.

With her sustained interest in arts’ pedagogies, she founded ‘Art Links Learning’ to create age appropriate curriculum for imparting music and arts intelligence.

She continues to live in Bengaluru and be a student of the arts.

Sahana Mohan, an interface designer by profession working in the UK and India, switched her career to be associated with the Indian Music Experience Museum (IME) right from its inception. She believes that the arts play a crucial role in the overall well-being of people and art institutions have the responsibility to shape and influence society for the better.

As part of the IME, Bengaluru, Mohan leads the content team and is responsible for acquiring media and assets for the Museum. Mohan’s involvement with IME spans from the initial design and set up of the Museum in 2016, to temporary exhibitions such as Ravi Shankar@100: India's global musician, a centennial exhibition that was showcased online as well as in the physical space of the Museum. In addition to being an ardent fan of Indian Classical music, she is an ardent yoga enthusiast having practiced yoga for many years.

Sandunes is a composer, producer and pianist from Mumbai, India. Her unique and evocative sound, of rhythmic meditations on the future of pop and electronic music, has trodden an increasingly global footprint over recent years. She has opened for Bonobo at the Manchester International Festival, supported George Fitzgerald's album release tour at Evolutionary Arts Hackney, performed at London’s Barbican Centre under commission from Warp Records and Boiler Room, toured the US supporting Pretty Lights and released a collaborative album with celebrated UK jazz drummer Richard Spaven.

Her interests extend into pedagogy, mentorship and mindfulness, seeing her serve as guest lecturer at Ableton’s Loop Summit for Music Makers. She also runs her own podcast on healthy creative practice, and co-founded the Indian beatmaker collective DASTA focused on DIY growth through the arts.

Her work has been recognised by international and local tastemakers across various media, including Rolling Stone, The Quietus, The Guardian, Red Bull Radio and Resident Advisor.

Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical and Devotional music. He has dedicated his entire life to the promotion and conservation of the rich tradition of Hindustani classical music. Trained under Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj, he gave his first stage performance at the young age of 11 years. Since then, he has travelled extensively across the country and abroad performing in several prestigious conferences and art circles. He has received many awards including the President award and the Top Grade from the All India Radio in 1990, the prestigious Kumar Gandharva National Award 2008 by Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, the coveted National Award 1998 as the best male playback singer for the Hindi film Godmother, and the Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar.

Shaina Jagtiani heads Communications and PR at MAP. As an experienced leader, having worked in advertising, media, branding and sales, with an exposure to large, medium and start-up companies, she is a strategic thinker with a keen eye for detail. She considers herself a ‘forever learner’, eager to stay in tune with the latest marketing trends and approaches. Her background in brand strategy and account management continuously help her translate objectives into actionable initiatives.

While collaborating with cross-functional teams, Jagtiani is using her desk to build effective marketing and communication strategies that will enhance brand MAP.

Shilpa Vijayakrishnan is Head of the Education & Outreach Department at MAP. Integral to the evolution of the department since its conception, she has curated over five exhibitions specially designed for younger audiences, as well as conceptualised and facilitated a range of programmes for schools, children and adults. Former editor of the Tasveer Journal, her articles have been published in publications including the eponymous print edition of the Tasveer Journal, Maharanis: Royal Women of India, Gardens of the Mind: Swapak Nayak, and Gilles Bensimon and Figures in Time: Bourne & Shepherd.

She holds a postgraduate degree in Arts & Aesthetics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and has curated online narratives for MAP on the Google Arts & Culture platform on a range of subjects including Women in Hindi Cinema and the Pichwai painting tradition, among others.

Shiva Manvi is a DJ based out of Bangalore. He has performed at festivals such as Sunburn Festival, TimeOut 72, Sensation Rise, Tinder-Swipe Right Night, Smirnoff Experience, Budweiser Experiences, Passion Unleashed, Corona Sunsets, and Studio B. He has played alongside various Indian as well as international artists, such as Axwell x Ingrosso, DJ Snake, Alan Walker, Krewella, Sander Van Doorn, Don Diablo, Troyboi, Kryder, NGHTMRE, Ghastly, and Ookay. He has also performed for brands like Facebook, KOOVS and his recent ambassadorship for Red Bull, Pioneer DJ and VIVO Mobiles have put him on the global map.

Shreya Devnath, a student of Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, is a well-established solo violinist. In addition, Devnath curates, performs and tours with A Carnatic Quartet, an instrumental ensemble featuring violin, nagaswaram, mridangam and thavil. She also performs regularly alongside prominent artists like Smt. Sowmya, Shri Vijay Siva, Shri Sikkil Gurucharan, and Shri B Kannan (veena), and has collaborated as a vocalist in the productions of dancers Narthaki Natraj, Urmila Sathyanarayanan and Srekala Bharath.

Devnath is currently collaborating on a research project funded by Goldsmiths University, UK, on finding the intermusicality between Western Classical music theories of harmony and counterpoint and the Carnatic music concepts of melakartha and gamaka. She is an independent artist and music composer, and has also played solo violin for film recordings, including most recently with A R Rahman. She has toured extensively for concerts, plays and workshops, including with the productions of Dr. Gowri Ramnarayan.

A fourth generation Yakshagana artiste, Shridhar Hegde Keremane is at the forefront of this art form when it comes to the younger generation. Yakshagana is an artform that evolved through storytelling and incorporates several performance elements including elaborate costumes, music, dance and theatre. The torchbearer of this celebrated tradition and a Kathak dancer, Hegde hails from Sri Idagunji Managanapati Yakshagana Mandali, a troupe set up in 1934 in the coastal village of Keremane in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district. Carrying the form forward into modern times, Hegde works towards popularising it among people around the world who would not normally have the opportunity to experience it.

Padmashree awardee, Shubha Mudgal is not only one of the most prominent Hindustani Classical music singers, but also a composer and educationist par excellence. Fluent in a variety of classical genres from Dadra to Thumri, Mudgal has been trained by some of the finest musicians and musicologists in India, including eminent scholar-musician-composer Pandit Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang”, maestros Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki and Pandit Kumar Gandharva, and versatile performer Smt. Naina Devi.

A former member of the Central Advisory Board of Education, Mudgal has been closely involved with a number of education projects in India. She is also the co-founder of Underscore Records, an online distribution platform for musicians specialising in diverse forms of Indian music.

Simit Bhagat is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, former journalist and a social development practitioner based out of Mumbai. He left his full-time job with an international non-profit to set up a creative agency for the third sector. He is passionate about the environment, art, and developmental issues. His documentary films have been showcased at film festivals in India and abroad. His film In Search of Bidesia on Bhojpuri folk musicians won the Best Music Documentary Award at The Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival, 2021 in the UK.

Bhagat is also the founder of The Bidesia Project, a not-for-profit initiative to conserve and archive folk music traditions from the Bhojpuri region.

Over the last 14 years, Bhagat has worked with several development and media organisations including Thomson Reuters Foundation, Tata Trusts and The Times of India (TOI). He has an MA in Science, Society and Development from Institute of Development Studies at University of Sussex, UK.

Sneha Khanwalkar is a music director best known for the music of the Bollywood films, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Gangs of Wasseypur. She is the second woman, after Usha Khanna, to win a nomination in the Best Music Director category at the Filmfare Awards. Before entering the world of film music, Khanwalkar conceived and hosted a popular music-based MTV mini-series called Sound Trippin in which she travelled to places like Punjab, Banaras, Yellapur, Goa, Leh and others, recording local sounds both ambient and by everyday singers and local musicians, and created a soundscape for each location. Khanwalkar follows a unique approach to making music, being one of the few Indian film composers who collaborate with non-mainstream artists from different sociocultural backgrounds.

Sonika Soni is a freelance art historian and conservator. She is currently a GBF Fellow at the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, working on mid to late eighteenth century Ragamala paintings from Bundi-Kota workshops. Her work incorporates the scientific analysis of paintings for an in-depth understanding of style and ateliers.

Soni has a Masters’ degree in Art History from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda, and a postgraduate diploma in Museology and Conservation from CSMVS, Mumbai. She has worked on a number of royal and private art collections including the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, and the City Palace Museums in Jaipur and Udaipur. Some of her published essays appear in Gauri Dancers (Mapin), Painting and Photography at the Jaipur Court (Niyogi Books), and The Indian Portrait-VIII (Archer).

Sourav Biswas is a guitar player and music composer from Kolkata. Currently studying Sound Recording and Design at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, his music journey began with learning guitar and music theory from Guitar Legend Amyt Dutta. When foraying into electronic music with VSTs and MIDI, he slowly discovered the world of Sampling in the process. He has scored the background music for a few film projects and a Bengali web series. His influences include Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, A.R Rahaman and Sneha Khanwalkar among others.

Sriram Emani is the Founder and CEO of IndianRaga, which he founded when he was a student at MIT. He is a 2015 Global Fellow with the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), where he was the only Indian out of 52 Fellows from across the world. Under his leadership, IndianRaga has grown into one of the largest global networks of talented musicians and dancers, invited to perform at iconic platforms like HowdyModi, United Nations General Assembly, among others. Previously, Emani worked as a Strategy Fellow with the President of Lincoln Center, New York City, and with the President of Global Digital Business at Sony Music, New York City. He also initiated the marketing and business development teams at the NCPA, Mumbai and Disney Theatrical Group. Emani was part of the first batch of 12 Tata Fellows at the MIT Tata Center for Technology and Design. An alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management (Class of 2014), he was awarded the prestigious Siebel Scholarship.

Stephen Webber Stephen Webber is an Emmy-winning composer, songwriter, concertising musician, author, speaker, producer/engineer, and a leading innovator in music and the performing arts. He currently serves as Dean of Strategic Initiatives for Berklee College of Music, and Executive Director of BerkleeNYC, where he oversees the iconic Power Station recording studios, and designed the new Master of Arts programmes in Songwriting and Production, Writing and Design for Musical Theatre, and Live Experience Design. Recently, Webber has also been serving as A&R consultant for the Universal Music Group. He has produced and engineered albums for a wide-range of artists, including a collaboration with DJ Premier and Nas for the Re:Generations Music Project, a film he appeared in alongside Erica Badu, Skrillex, Mos Def, Pretty Lights, and the Doors. Webber is the composer and turntable soloist of the Stylus Symphony, a groundbreaking work that combines a full orchestra with hip-hop. He has toured across the world, and been featured on CNN, NBC, NPR, CBS, and in the New York Times, USA Today, and Rolling Stone Magazine.

Surabhi Sharma has been an independent filmmaker since 2000, and focuses on making feature-length documentaries and short films. Her documentaries, fiction, and video installations engage with cities in transition using the lens of labour, music, and migration. Sharma’s films have been screened and awarded at several international film festivals. Her list of acclaimed films include Returning to the First Beat (2017); Bidesia in Bambai (2013); Jahaji Music: India in the Caribbean (2007); Above the Din of Sewing Machines (2004); Aamakaar, The Turtle People (2002); and Jari Mari: Of Cloth and Other Stories (2001). Her works have been screened at international film festivals like Dubai International Film Festival, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, and MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, among others.

She is currently teaching in the Film and New Media Programme at New York University Abu Dhabi.

Surya HK is a Young India Fellow & Salzburg Global Fellow, and manages events at MAP.

He was previously Chief of Staff to Samir Jain, at the Vice Chairman's Office of The Times of India Group. He has organised several international literature festivals & conclaves, and has also worked on election campaigns & conducted legislative research for Members of Parliament, done outreach on behalf of NGOs, and advised event committees on programming.

Sushant Divgikar is an Indian model, actor, singer, columnist, psychologist, motivational speaker, drag queen, pageant director, and video jockey. Divgikar goes by the pronouns "he", "she" and "they" and appears in television shows, films, advertisements, audio plays and theatre productions. In 2014, they were crowned Mr Gay India 2014 and have also represented India at Mr Gay World 2014 having been the only delegate from India to win three sub awards. Divgikar, in their drag queen avatar Rani Ko-HE-Nur, created history by becoming the first contestant from the LGBTQIA+ community to win a golden buzzer in the singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and directly enter the top 15 of the reality competition shows in the year 2018.

The tribal farmers of Araku valley practice ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’, a unique best-practice model of climate-resilient agriculture that enhances farmer’s welfare by eliminating synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, replacing them instead with ecologically sustainable, cheaper natural substitutes.

These tribal farmers are also musicians, singing songs that have been passed down from generations. Songs of labour form a major part of the range of folk music, especially in South India, as a natural outcome of work situations – and are often in sync with the inbuilt rhythms of the work such as sowing, picking, harvesting, grinding and so on.

The music of the farmers of Araku Valley presented here, thematically speaks of the natural world and our coexistence. This is only appropriate to a community who not only share an intimate relationship with the soil for their livelihood but also a sustainable one.

Trish Complete is a DJ, Producer and Sound Engineer from London, UK. Her music, which is a blend of House, Tech House and Techno with an euphoric focus, is inspired by the likes of ATB, PlanetFunk, Nadia Ali, Todd Terry and many others from the 1990s. She has performed at some of the capital’s most-revered venues including Ministry of Sound, Egg Club, Pacha, Lightbox and Work Bar. She has also performed in India, Austria and Ibiza, and alongside some of the biggest names in Electronic Dance Music, including Richard Duran, Gareth Emery, NERVO, Goldfish, UMEK, and Markus Schulz. She has been signed to Heldeep Records, one of the top record labels in the music industry.

Based in Mumbai, Udaan was co-founded by two visually challenged artists, Kevval Hariya & Deepakk Bedsa, springing from their vision of forming an orchestra comprising people afflicted by different disabilities.

The selection of musicians, singers, dancers and acrobats for Udaan is unaffected by caste, creed or geographical boundaries. The co-founders have uncovered raw talent not only from Mumbai but also from interior parts of Maharashtra, such as Kolhapur or Nagpur. The first Udaan show held in 2005 featured 15 artists; whereas in 2016, Udaan became a band of 55-strong world class performers, displaying amazing expertise in all genres of music, dance & acrobatics.

Dr. T. Venkat Vardhan is the Founder and Managing Director of DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, one of India’s leading events and entertainment companies. He is an engineer by education and a businessman driven by passion. DNA Entertainments was launched to offer global scale international experiences to Indians and has been responsible for bringing acclaimed musicians to the country, including Aerosmith, Scorpions, Metallica, Dire Straits, Beyoncé, and Shakira. Dr Vardhan has also managed large format sports properties such as IPL, Pro Kabaddi, ISL amongst others. He has previously served as the President of the Event Management Association of India (under FICCI) and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Jerusalem for his contributions towards Event Management and development of Rural Educational Institutions.

Vidya Shah is a singer and musician from New Delhi, India. She was initially trained in Carnatic music, and later received guidance in the North Indian genres of Khayal (from Shubha Mudgal and Mujahid Hussain Khan), Thumri Dadra, and Ghazal (from Shanti Hiranand). She has performed at national and international forums, including the Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior, The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C, The Asia Society in New York and the Bode Museum in Berlin.

A popular performer and a prolific composer, she has a comfortable command on various genres. She is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Award and a Senior Fellowship from the Government of India for her project ‘Women on Record’, a performance highlighting the contributions of the forgotten women performers in the Gramophone era. She is the author of Jalsa: Indian Women's Journey from the Salon to the Studio (Tulika Books).

Vignesh Ishwar is one of the leading young musicians of Carnatic music. Born and raised in Mumbai, Ishwar trained under Palakkad Shri T S Anantharama Bhagawathar from the age of four. Since 2008, he has been training under Shri T M Krishna. He has performed extensively in India and abroad, and with senior and veteran artists of Carnatic music, such as Shri R K Shriramkumar, Shri H N Bhaskar, and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Sangeetha Kalanidhi. Holding a masters degree in sound and music technology, he has always desired to contribute to the world of art through the amalgamation of music and technology. His knowledge of music and engineering acumen made him an integral part of the research team at IIT Madras and the Music Technology Group, UPF Barcelona, working on the CompMusic project instituted by the prestigious European Research Council, developing computational methodologies for analysis, archival and retrieval of art music traditions.

Vilina Patra is a Hindustani Classical vocalist and graded artist in All India Radio, Pune. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Music from Department of Music, S.N.D.T Women’s University, Pune. She has performed in various cities of India such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune and Varanasi among others. Patra has given vocal support to Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar all over India, including in many prestigious platforms including Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsava, Surel Sabha in Pune, Swarjhankar Festival, Pune, Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Music Festival in Hyderabad, and Gangubai Hangal Mahotsava in Hubli. She has also performed live for a digital music series organised by Cheer Up Foundation, California U.S.A. She is a gold medallist from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

Vir Amar Dasmahpatra serves as Vice President of talent management & learning in a European multinational company. Alongside his professional pursuits, he nurtures a passion for Indian Classical music. He has trained in vocal music from gurus of Jaipur, Banaras and Agra gharanas. Over the years he has participated in the conceptualisation of several thematic concerts, blending music with other performing arts like theatre and dance. Currently based in Zurich, he has been collaborating actively with Sonika Soni on the exploration of the Ragamala paintings – looking at the interplay of music and literature with visual art in both historical and contemporary contexts. He has a Master's Degree in Applied Psychology and is also a coach to senior leaders and executives.

Vivek Santhosh is a part of SubraMania and hails from Kerala’s cultural capital, Thrissur. He started learning Carnatic music and piano at the age of 12 and since then, has been a passionate performer, composer and programmer. A postgraduate in Carnatic music, he is the first person in the state of Kerala to have acquired an LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College, London), a performance diploma in piano.

In the year 2009 he was awarded the ‘Upcoming Musician of the Year’ fellowship by an organisation called Piano in Kerala. He has worked with several music directors and musicians, and founded an experimental jazz and contemporary music band called Vivek Santhosh Trio.

Four women from four corners of the globe comprise the award-winning vocal quartet ‘Women of the World’. The genesis of ‘Women of the World’ came about through connections made at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and was formed to bring women musicians from across the globe onto a common musical platform to collaborate and create. The quartet has performed extensively across North America, Europe and Asia and has collaborated with industry legends Bobby McFerrin and African icon, Angelique Kidjo. They have won numerous awards, such as the Ward Swingle Award at VokalTotal (Graz, Germany) in 2018, Harmony Sweepstakes National champions in 2014 and Independent Music Awards in 2014. They have delighted audiences at venues like Carnegie Hall, Blue Note Jazz Club, Boston Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, The Apollo Theater as well as through collaborations with the United Nations, amongst others.

Yoel Genin aka Shwesmo is a Boston based, Israeli producer and guitarist, combining metal, fusion and middle eastern influences into a new electronic context. With vast experience as a composer and guitarist, along with unique sound design, he is devoted to endless exploration and breaking musical borders. Born and raised in Israel, he started his musical endeavors at a young age, learning piano, drums and trumpet, before ultimately settling on the guitar. As a young musician, he appeared on the big stages of his home country and across Europe. Genin studied at Rimon School of Music in Israel, and later at the famous Berklee College of Music. He has performed with world-class artists like Tigran Hamasyan, Antonio Serrano, Idan Raichel and Carmen Lundy. As part of the Berklee Indian ensemble, he performed with some of the biggest Indian artists such as Raghu Dixit, Vijay Parkash and Shankar Mahadevan, in the US and India. He is currently a professor at Berklee, co-directing the Contemporary Indian Ensemble class and teaching various classes.

One of the most sought after singers from Mizoram in India, Zaii Hauchhum started her career at a very early age. With a passion for music and songwriting, this powerful vocalist is versatile in different genres of music and is able to sing in English, Spanish, Italian and Korean.