Prahlad Acharya doesn't need and fancy props; no shimmer, no glitter to present his shadow acts. Be it any story, he would depict each character with so much flare and confidence that the audience understands what he is trying to convey with his action. Prahlad is gifted with an art of giving form to any object, image or character with just his hands. He has a very distinctive vision and imagination. He is also famous as a magician, ventriloquist and storyteller. He wears an ever-smiling face throughout his performance, exuberates positivity. Prahlad has performed amazing hand-shadow acts all over the world, including Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, Germany, and of course – India. Prahlad’s shadow acts flow like water – uninterrupted, with no hiccups. The stories are perfect from the start to finish.
Almaz Mehendi Designer is a professional mehendi artist based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. She provides all kinds of Indian, Arabic, and Pakistani designs which will give you a beautiful and luxurious feel. It is her creative art that makes you happy. Almaz is a thorough professional with a rich experience of more than 20 years. She and her team have also worked for many famous celebrities and models. She prides herself in producing contemporary and extremely creative henna designs.
Ashwanth Vergis is a professional saxophone Keyboard, Mouth Organ, and Melodica player. Ashwanth did engineering while pursuing his passion. Ashwanth started as a keyboardist and did his Grade 5 exam for keyboard from the Trinity School of Music, London. Ashwanth has played for many bands including the top metal band "˜Death Hallucination.' He has shared the stage with many bands at prestigious events and competitions such as The Chennai Live Band Hunt, Band-e-Matharam, SundayJam, and many more. He went on to play Saxophone and now is known for his Saxophone skills. He has done many events, including corporate events, concerts, private events, and many more. Ashwanth has played solo events at Citrus hotels, Forum Mall, VR Mall, Peppermill, Khargeens, etc.
7even is a LIVE band formed by veterans of the Chennai music scene, bringing diverse influences and styles together into a melting pot of sonic bliss. It is an explosive band, creative and courageous enough to play covers of well-known classic rock and jazz artists/bands, and simultaneously keep their originality with some exciting re-arrangements, which bring out the diversity of the band. Started by three people with the premonition and conviction that their band would not only grow in size and popularity but would also bring together players as diverse in their professions as they are in their style of playing, 7even delights audiences with their creative renditions of covers that focus on drums, keyboards, guitars, and vocals. They combine their individual professions beautifully with the strings and strains of the music they create. Band Members: Brian Paiva – a multi-talented and faceted personality who is not only an amazing singer-songwriter but a part-time guitarist as well. His interest in alternative music is, at times, evident in his compositions bridging together beautifully the best of both the worlds. Jaideep Vivekanand – A soulful lead guitarist whose experience of decades lends him his signature sounds and licks very few can match. Anthony Karuna – A keyboard player par excellence, with a wide range of talents, but, one who is humble and non-assuming in his demeanor. He is a seasoned music composer and an expert sound technician as well. Shyam Rao – A seasoned and entertaining drummer whose stage presence is equaled only by his controlled and brilliant support to any rendition. Wayne Fernandez – Also known as "The Bass Port," he was trained initially in classical piano and guitar in his early childhood. He was asked by the leader of his first band (his twin brother) to take up bass duties for their high school band. Thus began his journey into the deep end. Kavita Thomas – A vocalist with a wide and diverse range which blends beauty and talent easily into her performances.
Benny Prasad is a professional guitarist based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. Born in 1975, Benny was the first of his generation in the family to venture out of a desk job and try his luck with an art form. With his passion and love, he has now transformed his family members from a state of shock to a state of pride. Earlier, he had displayed no interest in music. But one fine day he developed a deep rooted inclination for music. From that moment onwards to the present, he has performed before Parliaments and in front of Presidents. Not to forget the cultural stages of the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He has travelled to more than 250 cities around the world and holds a world record for that too! Benny’s passion is not just limited to creating music. He has himself designed two instruments - a bongo guitar and a 54-string guitar! He invokes a great deal of spirituality and essence of faith in his music. Benny believes music is not just to enjoy but it also creates a direct connect with divinity.
Sanjeev Korti is a professional sitar player based out of the capital city of Karnataka, Bangalore. With over 18 years of sitar training from Ustad Shafique Khan, Sanjeev hails from the Gwalior gharana (school) of music. He is the grandson of Sitar Ratna Rahamat Khan. Sanjeev began his training as a singer but after listening to sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez, a sudden and lasting passion for sitar ignited in him. He plays sitar with both tantrakari and gayaki ang (style). He has played at several concerts, which have been aired on AIR and Doordarshan. Sanjeev has also accompanied several light music and kathak dance programmes. Performed At: Ozora Festival, Hungary 2015 Ordogkatlan Festival, Hungary 2015 Wischod Pienka World Orchestra, Poland 2015 Prague, Czech Republic 2015 Paris, France 2015 Pokhara and Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal Naada Namana Mantralayam Bharath Nivas Auditorium, Auroville, Pondicherry Sawai Gandharva Mahostav, Kundagol 2011 Hampi Festival 2010 Bangaluru Habba 2012 Navaraspur Festival 2011, Bijapur
Pravin Godkhindi is a professional flautist based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. He is the first Indian flautist to perform on the 8 Feet contrabass flute. He is one of the top-ranking artists in Hindustani Bansuri by Akashvani (AIR). Pravin was the first Indian to represent bansuri at the World Flute Festival held in Mendoza, Argentina and won national awards for his contribution in films like Beru and Vimukthi. The brand ambassador for AKG Microphones, Pravin started toying with a small flute at the age of three. His first public performance was at the age of six, under the tutorship of Pandit Venkatesh Godkhindi and Vidwan Anoor Ananth Krishna Sharma. He has performed with eminent musicians like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Dr Balmurali Krishna, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr Kadri Gopinath, Sivamani, and much more.
Ghatam Giridhar Udupa is a professional ghatam player based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. He is one of the leading Indian percussionists in today's time. He has been into music since the tender age of four. He was born into a family of literature and music, while rhythm flows in his blood. His initial guidance was under his father, Ullur Nagendra Udupa, who is a renowned mridangam player. Later, Giridhar Udupa started learning under Vidushi Ghatam Sukanya Ramgopal and Vidwan Ghatam V Suresh. Ghatam is an Indian claypot which produces sound on hitting with palm and fingers. He also plays other South Indian percussion instruments like Mridangam, Kanjira and Morsing. Played with: Sarvashree L Subramaniam M Balamuralikrishna MS Gopalkrishnan RK Srikantan TN Krishnan TK Murthy Palghat Raghu Umayalpuram K Sivaraman AK Palanivel Mysore Nagaraj & Manjunath Ganesh & Kumaresh Mandolin Srinivas N Ramani KJ Yesudas TV Gopalkrishnan TV Sankaranarayanan TN Seshagopalan Jayanthi Kumaresh RK Suryanarayana Kadri Gopalnath Sudha Raghunathan Aruna Sayeeram Apart from performing Carnatic music, Giridhar also performs in many other genres like Hindustani music, jazz, blues, fusion, flamenco, symphony orchestra, Latin music, DJ music, celtic music, world music, Arabic music, Japanese music, Talavadya (percussion ensemble) and Jugalbandhi. He has played at several international music festivals with popular Indian musicians like: Dr L Subramaniam Pandit Jasraj Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Ustad Sultan Khan Pandit Anindo Chatterjee Ustad Fazal Qureshi Pandit Birju Maharaj Sivamani Louis Banks Niladri Kumar Ustad Taufiq Qureshi Selva Ganesh Amit Heri Lucky Ali Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam Bikram Ghosh Rahul Sharma Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri Ranjit Barot He has also played with Western musicians: Larry Coryell George Brooks Ernie Watts John Kaizan Neptune Chico Freeman Kai Eckhardt Hubert Laws Corky Siegel Ivry Gitlis Airto Moreira Fritz Renold Lewis Pragasam Orchestras played with: Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (USA) Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (South Africa) State Philharmonic Orchestra of Sibiu (Romania) Sinfonia Baltica (Poland) Leipzig Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (Germany) Royal Symphony Orchestra of Oman He is also one of the founder members of 'Layatharanga', a team of Indian classical musicians who embark on making new waves of music by mixing various forms of classical, folk and world music. He has also teamed up with a Poland-based flamenco group called 'Indialucia' and the France-based celtic band 'Nasha'. International Venues Performed at: The Kennedy Centre (Washington DC) Royal Festival Hall (London) Wortham Centre (Houston) Millennium Park (Chicago) Music Academy – Chennai (India) Bangkok Jazz Festival (Bangkok) Miri International Jazz Festival (Malaysia) Ethno Port Poznan Festival (Poland) Lille 3000 (France) Northfolk International Festival (Seattle) The Fifth Cross-Culture – Warsaw Festival (Poland) Flamenco International Festival – Prague (Czech Republic) Swaralaya (Kuwait) Theatre de la Ville and Theatre Guimet – Paris (France) Theatre St Gilles (ReUnion Island) El Violin Festival – La Coruna (Spain) Java Jazz Festival – Jakarta (Indonesia) Rainforest World Music Festival – Sarawak(Malaysia) International Percussion Festival – Krakow (Poland) Countries Performed at: USA UK Canada South Africa Germany The Netherlands Belgium Spain Switzerland France Denmark Poland Czech Republic Luxembourg Romania Indonesia Mauritius Re Union Island Singapore Malaysia Bangkok Dubai Muscat Doha Sri Lanka Bahrain Kuwait Awards: Asthana Vidwan of the Sri Matam of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam (2010) Titled as 'Yuva Kala Bharati' by Bharath Kalachar, Chennai (2004) Titled as 'Vijaya Kalashree' (1997) Titled as 'Yuva Laya Prathibhamani' (2009) Won the Aryabhatta Award (2000) Recipient of Central Govt Scholarship for Ghatam (2002) Won numerous 'Best Percussionist' and 'Best Ghatam Player' titles
Arup Chattopadhyay is a professional tabla player based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. He is recognised as one of the most outstanding tabla artists of this generation. He has established himself as a formidable soloist as well as a top-notch accompanist. Arup's performances are admired for their exceptional clarity, tonal quality and deep compositional repertoire, all presented with an innate sense of melody and rhythm. Arup began learning the tabla at the age of six from his father, the eminent tabla player, Pt Pankaj Chattopadhyay. He then came under the tutorship of the world-renowned tabla maestro, Pt Shankar Ghosh, and is one of his premier disciples. He was awarded Top-Grade by All India Radio and Television. Arup has accompanied many of the leading musicians of India such as Ustad Rais Khan, Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Aashish Khan, Pt Nayan Ghosh, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Lakshmi Shankar, Pt Ajay Chakrabarti, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pt Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Pt Tarun Bhattacharya, the late VG Jog, Pt Kushal Das, and Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumdar among others. Since 1998, Arup has been honoured to accompany the legend, Bharat Ratna Pt Ravi Shankar, in tours throughout US, Europe, Canada, and India, including performances in Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Barbican Hall. Arup toured the UK with the late Pt Deepak Choudhury many times and with Pt Kartik Seshadri (since 1997) throughout the Canada, USA, Mexico, India, and Australia. Arup is also a highly sought-after tutor and, over the last 14 years, has been a visiting lecturer at University of California, San Diego; previously, he was a professor at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London (Institute of Indian Culture).
Magician Philip is a young and renowned magician from the IT capital of India, Bangalore. He had influenced many magicians and audiences by his magnetic personality and showmanship. He started performing at the age of 12. His first foot steps into the world of magic were with magic books and shows. He took training under the guidance of Magician Gopinath Muthukad and Rajamoorthy at the Magic Academy. Philip is the founder of the portals – Indian Magicians and World of Magicians. He has lectured many magic conventions and courses. He also writes for various national and international magic journals. He has accomplished enormous number of awards and certificates that include: Pakalamottam Ayrookuzhiyil, Aratpuzha, Kerala Thuruthyil Karimpanackal, Cheppadu, Kerala Lions Club of Pathanamthitta, South Kerala TBRA, Trivandrum, Kerala
Mayandi is a professional standup comedian based out of the IT capital of India, Bangalore. He is a tall, fair and man-some guy who works as an IT professional in the morning and tells jokes about his daily life in the evening. He has nine years of experience in the comedy field, which includes four years of engineering, two years of MBA and three years of performing in front of audiences. He was born in California, USA and brought up in London. That’s what he wishes to tell others but he is not lucky enough to have that background. He hails from a typical South Indian middle-class family from the small town called Karaikudi, which is in the suburb bay area of the southern part of Tamil Nadu.
punch tantraa is comedian.
For PunchTantraa, comedy is their mantra! PunchTantraa is an exceptional joint effort of differently-skilled people who go for spreading laughter through an extraordinary and unusual work of art, i.e., radical mime. After record-breaking power-packed open and corporate shows, PunchTantraa remains as India's initially enrolled proficient radical mime team. PunchTantraa was included on NDTV's celebrated show, The Rising Stars of Comedy. Apart from being a great degree witty, inventive and reliable with their performances, PunchTantraa emphatically puts stock in clean comedy and purely comedy. They strive to give socially delicate messages by means of their demonstrations of chuckling, which is the best idea to wrap some intelligence (social message) under a cover of silliness.
Veekay is a professional DJ based out of the capital city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. A DJ with his own style and the right attitude to bring in a smile, he never compromises when it comes to giving and deserving the best and in playing what people love, strongly believing that music is a wonderful tool in life. He is well known around and has been playing on the circuit for more than five years. He started the career at the age of 18 and soon his talent got recognised by several DJs who gave him a chance to start off in a club called The Turf Club (formerly called Karma). Then, he moved to Havana the Club at The Rain Tree Hotels while bringing fun, entertainment and serious clubbing to the city. He took a break for a while and prepared himself as a freelancer and worked on various events as an event organiser and production manager. Playing the best and latest in RnB and hip hop with a break in boundaries already out and soon to be released Steppin Up Da Game, Veekay is now switching up the game with visual DJing. He has a deep understanding of technicalities of sounds and lights coordinated shows and the electronics involved in them. The irrepressible enthusiasm behind the decks, tight mixing and quality choice of tunes should ensure that this guy's star stays firmly in the ascendant.
Sand Artist Venugopal from Hyderabad, Telangana is one of the most famous artists from the state. He uses sand art to make emotions and expressions come alive. Venugopal has demonstrated his skills in front of large audiences, having celebrities and well known faces among them. He makes use of projection technology to relay his sand art on to a screen. His live performances cover a live sand art in the making which is displayed on a big display through a camera connected to a LCD projector. Seeing him craft different figures and landscapes with perfection is scintillating and exciting. He won the Hindustan Ka Big Star Winner 2016 and got his name embedded in the Wonder Book Records. Apart from this, Venugopal has been bestowed with numerous state and national prizes from different organisations. His artistic talents is appreciated by all. Venugopal has been invited by many corporate companies to showcase his talents. He is one of the most invited guests for cultural events in Telangana. His work as a painter, caricature artist and graphic designer is bundled with a string of emotions and love.
Kunal Jain, better known by his professional name DJ KNJN, is an Indian electronic musician, DJ, remixer and producer. Some of his most famous songs are Tamil Mashup, Indian classical dubstep tunes, London Thumka, Om Jai Jagadish and Love Melodies. He released his debut remix single, Zara Si, in 2014. He plays genres like electronic, Bollywood, progressive house, dubstep and trap. He has been working in the industry since 2004.
