‘Ancient Mantras In A Global Bed Of Music’

‘It
was
great
to
have
the
Indian
roots
reflected
in
full
force.’

Borders
and
boundaries
blurred
as
congratulations
poured
in
for
Indian-American
vocalist
Chandrika
Krishnamoorthy
Tandon,
who
won
the
Grammy
for
her
album

Triveni
under
the
category
for
the
Best
New
Age,
Ambient,
or
Chant
Album
on
Monday.

In
an
e-mail
interview
to

Business
Standard,
Tandon
said:
“It
is
surreal
and
exciting
on
many
levels.

“Triveni
was
a
collaborative
experiment
bringing
ancient
mantras
in
a
global
bed
of
music
—
and
the
fact
that
it
succeeded
is
extremely
gratifying.”

The
71-year-old
business
leader
made
history
alongside
South
African
flutist
Wouter
Kellerman
and
Japanese
cellist
Eru
Matsumoto,
triumphing
over
notable
contenders
like
Anoushka
Shankar
and
Ricky
Kej.

About
her
Indian-origin
competitors,
Tandon
said:
“We
had
such
fantastic
fellow
nominees
in
our
category
with
awesome
music
—
it
was
great
to
have
the
Indian
roots
reflected
in
full
force.”

Tandon
began
her
professional
career
as
a
Citibank
banker
in
Beirut
during
the
Lebanese
Civil
War.

As
one
of
just
eight
women
in
her
IIM-A
batch,
she
later
became
the
first
Indian-American
woman
elected
partner
at
McKinsey
&
Company
in
the
1980s.

In
1992,
she
founded
the
New
York-based
consultancy,
Tandon
Capital
Associates.

So,
is
the
corporate
world
still
an
integral
part
of
her
life?

“Indeed
it
is,”
she
said,
“but
it
is
not
only
my
corporate
life
but
also
my
work
in
the
US
academic
sphere
as
a
trustee
of
New
York
University
(the
largest
private
global
university)
and
chair
of
the
NYU
Tandon
School
of
Engineering,
and
other
organisations
like
the
New
York
Academy
of
Sciences.

“Keeps
both
sides
of
the
brain
active
and
engaged.”

From
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
to
business
leaders
like
Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw
and
Harsh
Goenka,
as
well
as
expatriate
organisations
such
as
India
in
New
York,
many
extended
their
felicitations.

‘Congratulations
to
@chandrikatandon
on
winning
the
Grammy.
We
take
great
pride
in
her
accomplishments
as
an
entrepreneur,
philanthropist,
and,
of
course,
musician!
It
is
commendable
how
she
has
remained
passionate
about
Indian
culture
and
has
worked
to
popularise
it,’
Modi
posted
on
X,
recalling
his
2023
meeting
with
her
in
New
York.

A
trained
vocalist
in
Carnatic
and
Hindustani
classical
music,
Tandon
was
previously
nominated
for
a
Grammy
in
2011
in
the
Contemporary
World
Music
category
for
her
debut
album,

Soul
Call.

The
older
sister
of
former
PepsiCo
CEO
Indra
Nooyi,
Tandon
grew
up
in
Chennai,
attended
Madras
Christian
College,
and
later
earned
a
master’s
degree
from
the
Indian
Institute
of
Management
Ahmedabad.

‘This
remarkable
achievement
reflects
her
exceptional
talent
and
dedication
to
the
arts,’
MCC’s
alumni
association
posted
on
X.

During
an
interview
for
CNBC’s

The
Brave
Ones
series,
Tandon
spoke
about
a
pivotal
moment
in
her
career
when,
despite
rapid
business
growth,
she
felt
unfulfilled.

‘I
started
to
think…
‘Is
this
what
my
life’s
going
to
be?
One
deal
after
another?”
she
recalled.

In
the
same
series,
her
daughter,
Lita
Tandon,
shared
that
this
turning
point
led
her
mother
to
fully
embrace
music
and
the
things
that
brought
her
joy.

Inspired
by
her
passion,
Tandon
produced
her
first
album,

Soul
Call,
as
a
gift
for
her
father-in-law’s
90th
birthday,
featuring
recordings
of
his
favourite
chants.

The
album
later
earned
a
Grammy
nomination
for
Contemporary
World
Music
in
2011.

Feature
Presentation:
Ashish
Narsale/Rediff.com