Shruti Team

Atul Khare

Atul has been playing drums/congas/dhol since college days and is a regular member of multiple desi bands in the Seattle area. A simple, film-loving percussionist, always eager to improvise on the original with his own touch. His musical influences include Classic Rock, Funk, and Latin rhythms. He is a part-time DJ and loves singing ghazals.

Bipasha Mukherjee ('Queen B')

Popular Seattle figure who specializes in the sultry Asha Bhosle 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 comes across!

(Photo Credit: Shantaram Punukollu; Wardrobe Credit: Vasudha Motaparthy)

Carl Dacosta

Carl has been playing the keyboard since a young age, and has picked up a few other instruments along the way. He plays with a few local groups in town. When he's not hanging out with his wife Neetu and kids Anica and Neil, you'll probably find him jamming with different musicians from around town.

Ganga Narayanan

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

Creative writer, linguist and puzzle nerd, Gauri is the only female instrumentalist at Shruti. For all the 6 languages she is fluent in, she finds it very hard to say 'no' in any of them. Mostly a self-taught acoustic player, Gauri has come a long way learning and enjoying the technical side of music, thanks to her fellow keyboardists.

When not playing the keys, you will see her hang out with her boys, Aditya and Arjun, volunteer / write for several local cultural events, or just buried in a cryptic crossword with her coffee (reheated 3.5 times over).

Neelesh Kamkolkar

Naalu - proud papa of Rasan and a 'Family Man' as Rasan likes to call him. He will drum on any available surface and enjoys singing. Besides music, he has acted in several Marathi play productions in the Seattle area. He played the role of Moru in a popular comedy 3 Act play called "Moru Chi Maushi". He has performed at Folk Life Festival, Seattle International Children Festival, Microsoft (India) amongst other informal, impromptu venues.

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.

Prashant Nair

An avid music enthusiast, Prashant enjoys singing and playing his guitar. His voice lends itself to a wide range of music. He sings in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu but especially likes to perform A.R. Rahman & Ilayaraja compositions. Prashant is also a certified finger style guitarist who loves perfecting notes and jamming with his friends. In his spare time, he enjoys teaching guitar to his students. Prashant has performed at several charity shows in Georgia, Florida, Indiana, and Seattle.

Rajesh Kamath

One of the early members of the band, 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 Master of all musical trades, a self-styled purveyor of the evening Chai, and a well-known figure in the Seattle light-music scene, Sanjib-da brings a melodic swagger with his bass riffs and his magical keys (and sometimes, a drumbeat or two). He is the instrumental glue in the team and can always be seen sporting that smile (even when he tells you that you're playing it *all wrong*).

Vibhuti Kavishwar

Vibhuti has been learning music from her father since the early age of 5. Coming from a musical family, she is a holder of Sangeet Vishaarad (B.Mus) degree in Hindustani Classical vocal music. She has given performances with the musical group Swarvedh in India and is now an active member of several musical groups in Seattle. Her biggest audience so far has been around 50,000 during the function Maharashtra Kesari in Nagpur. She has won several singing competitions in the US including Swarangan organized by eprasaran and I Am Next Superstar, which was judged by Sonu Nigam and Suresh Wadkar. Vibhuti considers music as her passion and is capable of singing all kinds of Indian music. Apart from singing she is a Cosmetic Engineer by profession and loves dancing & painting.

Vivek Venkatachalam

Called Vivaldo for his alleged soccer playing skills, Vivek plays the drums like Tiger swings the 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!

Mudit Agrawal - MC

Mudit is in love with the beautiful, green Seattle area. His interests vary from sketching, photography, robotics, astronomy, creating dioramas, reading, and learning new things. Lucky to have a huge set of friends, he hopes to make the world a better, harmonious, and a more peaceful place to live in!

(Photo Credit: Reena N Saxena)

Rajesh Arumugam - Sound Support

Rajesh is the person responsible for making sure the sound mixing and sound quality is perfect for each song. An accomplished, versatile musician who leads his own band, Rajesh is the perfect man for this exacting job.

Pallavi - Lighting

Pallavi loves experiences where people share fully of themselves - like in most performing arts, and is a big fan of all things Shruti! She joyfully chooses her rose-colored glasses and sees the One-Part-Artist within each person she meets. She is thrilled to continue her collaboration with Shruti and CRY for Ina Mina Dika 2016, this time experimenting with lighting design for the show.

Anitha Kamath - "Den Mother"

A singer who has entertained Shruti audiences with her beautiful voice, she is now our very own den mother. Her home is our community center, her kitchen our home room. Always ready to whip up food to nurture our bellies along with gallons of chai, and entertaining quips. We would also like to acknowledge Sid and Tanvi who are eternally patient with the misbehaved noisy adults.

Shikha Jain - Marketing

Shikha is the person whose eye and lens are responsible for shooting the photos and footage that go into the publicity videos you see. She is also our local FB and Dubsmash guru. She loves spreading the word on how good everyone else is while she does her magic behind the scenes.

Sriram Rajagopalan - Production

Sriram is the man behind the scenes, helping organize the logistics of our musical events and making shows happen. He is the shepherd for the flock, and his patient demeanor ensures that both stresses and passions are kept in reasonable check!

(Photo Credit: Shantaram Punukollu)