August 2024 concertS

We have three concerts this Month. Please attend in large numbers, encourage the artists and enjoy the concerts.

DATE: Saturday, August 24, 2024 

TIME: 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM

VENUE: SANATHANA DHARMA KENDRA, 3102 Landess Ave, San Jose, CA 95132

Varun Challa (Vocal)

Varun is 12th grader at Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon.  He learns  8 years of Carnatic music training with Smt. Usha Srinivasan and currently learning under Sri A. S. Murali. He Performed in temple concerts, multiple gold finalist in Veenadhari competitions, and participated in LOTUS Thyagaraja Aradhana

Varun also Plays Western violin, getting trained for 2nd-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

He is also part of Eagle Scout in Scouts BSA and an active volunteer in several medical care organizations

Anirudh Ramakrishna (Mridangam)

Anirudh is Senior at Foothill High School, Pleasanton. He is Learning mridangam from Shri Gopi Lakshminarayanan for 7 years and Carnatic vocal from Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar of IAIM. Anirudh enjoys reading, playing chess, biking, and participating in cross-country event

Pranav Kausik (Vocal)

Pranav Kausik is a senior in Los Altos high school and has been learning Carnatic vocal for the past eleven years. Pranav is currently under the tutelage of Vid.Smt. Sailakshmi Telikicherla of Vidya Subramaniam Academy, Chennai.  Pranav presented his inaugural vocal concert at the Shirdi Sai Temple and Ashram, Chennai, in 2022.  Pranav has performed at the Lotus Thyagaraja Festival, and participated in Cleveland Thyagaraja festival and Veenadhari events.  Besides music, Pranav loves sports and is an avid Soccer player and Skier. 

Avanija Vangala (Violin)

Avanija is a 10th grader at Stratford Preparatory School. She has been learning Carnatic Violin from Kalaimamani Padma Shankar (Student of Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman) for 5 years. Avanija has been learning Carnatic Vocal from Padma Shankar for 9 years. She has been supporting bay area schools and students on violin since October of 2023.

Lalit Kovvuri (Mridangam)

Lalit Narayan Kovvuri is a sophomore at Archbishop Mitty High School. He is currently under the tutelage of Vidwan Sri. S. V. Ramani from  Chennai.

Over the past many years, he has performed in various sabhas in Chennai during December Margazi season, also performed at various platforms in Bay Area, New Jersey, Arizona. He has also won awards in various mridangam and violin competitions including Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. Lalit has also performed multiple times in prestigious Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival. Apart from mridangam, Lalit is also pursuing Carnatic vocal and violin under the tutelage of Vid Smt. Anuradha Sridhar. Lalit performed his mridangam arangetram in summer of 2019 accompanying Smt. Vasudha Ravi on vocal. He is blessed to perform under auspices of Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri. M. Chandrasekharan and Lalgudi Smt. Srimathi Brahmananandam and her daughter Smt. Anuradha Sridhar.

Rasika Ramakrishnan (Vocal)

Rasika Ramakrishnan is 9th grader at Mountain House high school. She has been a student of Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar for the past 7 years.

Chinmay  (Violin)

Chinmay is a senior at Monta Vista High School. He is learning violin under the guidance of Guru Shri Arvind Lakshmikanthan for the past 5 years and has been regularly accompanying.

Niranjan Ravichandran (Mridangam)

Niranjan Ravichandran has been learning Mridangam for 9 years under Guru Shri. Natarajan Srinivasan at Nandi Laya Vidyalaya. He has been a regular performer and accompanist at various Bay Area platforms including CCC, Rasamanjari, Lotus, SR Fine Arts, TVMC, and others. He has also won prizes in the OSAAT Naatya Raaga competition.

He completed his Arangetram in May 2023, with guidance and mentorship from his Guru Shri Natarajan Srinivasan and Paramaguru Shri. S.V.Ramani.

Niranjan is a rising sophomore at Heritage High School in Brentwood, California. He actively participates in his school’s Speech and Debate and Model UN programs.

In his free time, he enjoys listening to Carnatic and Western Classical Music, reading, and writing.