Chandar Venkataraman

I'm a musician and high-tech executive living in the SF Bay Area. I grew up listening to Tamil film songs, especially by MSV and Ilaiyaraja. After graduating from IIT, I became a trained Indian classical music (Carnatic) singer, teacher, and performer. Recently, I became a music composer with the strong belief that melody is the bedrock of enduring music. My first album "The Melodic Heart" includes my songs in melodies that are based on our classic timeless Indian ragas like Valaji, Shudh Kalyan, Abheri, and Yamuna Kalyani, and presented in different musical styles (alt-country, hard rock, jazz, light rock, psychedelic rock, waltz, Indian classical). My second album "The Fiery Romantic" features rare songs by Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi in my tunes.

There are tons of fun memories of my time at IITM. How can I forget the numerous hostel days, inter-hostel competitions, and Mardi Gras? Hearing eminent Carnatic musicians perform at the IITM Music Club was also a special experience.