Ranjani Ramachandran
Genre:
Hindustani classical vocalist
Ranjani Ramachandran is a prominent Hindustani classical vocalist specializing in the khayal genre and has earned wide acclaim for her performances in India and abroad. Trained in both the Gwalior and Jaipur gharana gayakis, Ranjani is a versatile musician equally at ease rendering other forms such as thumri, dadra and soulful bhajans. She has also carved a unique niche with her active engagement in pedagogy and research in music. Ranjani was initiated into Hindustani music at a young age by her mother, Vijaya. She is a disciple of eminent artistes like Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, (Late) Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, (Late) Pt. Kashinath Bodas and Vidushi Girija Devi. Ranjani has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades including the Pt. Ramkrishnabua Vaze Yuva Gayak Puraskar; Surmani award from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai; Resident Scholarship of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata; Fellowship for Young artistes; Junior & Senior Research Fellowship for doctoral studies instituted by the Government of India and Charles Wallace Research Grant (CWIT, UK). Ranjani has a Doctorate in vocal Hindustani music and is currently working as a faculty in the Department of Hindustani Classical Music at Sangit Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan in West Bengal. She has also participated in inter-disciplinary projects with visual arts and has been engaged in collaborative research with ethnomusicologists in India and abroad. Ranjani is a graded artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan and empanelled as a performing artiste for ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations). Her noteworthy performances include Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroha (New Delhi); ITC Sangeet Sammelan; Kalakshetra Annual Art Festival (Chennai); Pt. Kumar Gandharva Smriti Samaroha (Dewas); Nehru Centre (London); Palace Green Library, Durham University, UK; Basant Bahar, California, USA; “Sangeet Pratibha” of Sangeet Natak Academy; India Habitat Centre (New Delhi) and Goa Kala Academy amongst many others.