Rasika was formed by a small group of music lovers in Atlanta in 1994. The group has grown since then and has performed in many cities in USA, often to benefit charitable causes. Most of the members of the group are budding professionals and long time music students who have come together due to their overwhelming passion for music and it is this passion that they wish to share with the Indian community and all others who love Indian music.

The orchestra is provided by an array of very talented instrumentalists who have performed widely on stage both in India and the U.S. The singers are some of the most talented and popular singers who have already won the hearts of the "junta" during the past performances in Charlotte, Atlanta, Augusta, Richmond, San Jose, and other cities.

Das (Drummer/Percussionist), New Jersey. Das has learned Classical Tabla for six years from Pandit GyanPrakash Ghosh and Ramani Parmanik. He was in the BITS Pilani Music Club and has been playing for Rasika for the last five years. His undying passion for playing percussion (including Roland V-Drums, Acoustic Drums, Combas, Thumba, Tabla) has led him to play for Indian Classical , Western Music and Indian Film music programs, as well as on Doordarshan and AIR.

Karthik (Guitarist), DC.  Kartik has been referred to as ‘Junior Anup Jalota’. Usually located around the center of the stage, Kartik is the guitar player in the band with an interesting musical background. Starting at a very early age, Kartik gave his first public performance at the age of 6. Having studied Hindustani classical vocal music for 6 years to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Music. He has received the first place in an All India Music competition in the Light Classical Vocals category, was recognized as the ‘Most Talented Musician’ for a record consecutive four years in addition to the first place in the Annual Talent Contest organized by the Catholic Association of Jamshedpur, and has featured on Bangalore Doordarshan in 1987.

Kavitha Srinivasan (Solo Vocalist). Kavitha has been singing since the age of 3 years. Initially started learning under guidance from her father, who is a composer/singer. Later learned Hindustani Classical vocal music from Shrimati Lalitha Karulkar and Shrimati Vasumati Dantale. She has been a Sugam Sangeeth Artist in Doordarshan, Hyderabad, India for several years.  She was the winner of the National Award in Light Music competition conducted by All India Radio in 1990. This is one of the highest nationally recognized awards in India for outstanding performance in the Light Music category.

Manisha  (Lead Female Vocalist), OH. Manisha is a M.A. in Hindustani Classical Music, and has received ten year training from Pandit Prem Nath Trikha in Hindustani Classical Music.  She has also received training from Kalyan Ji Bhai (of Kalyanji Anandji fame) for two and a half years in Light Indian music and for playback singing, along with Sadhna Sargam and Sonali Bajpai. She has performed in two professional concert with well known Music Director Bappi Lahiri (that also featured superstars such as Sridevi and Akshay Kumar) in New Delhi and Ludhiana. She has also performed in numerous concerts in Indian Classical Music in Chandigarh and in Delhi, as well as in numerous community shows with Kalyan Ji in Mumbai.

Muks: Mukundan Narasimhan (Keyboardist), CA. Mux has won numerous best instrumentalist awards playing for intercollegiate culturals all over India. Besides Rasika, he is also a member of the popular  SFbay area band "Thillana".In Aug 2000 (they raised about $18,000 for ASHA-SV and in Jan 2001, and $12,000 for the Chennai based "Udavum Karangal". Apart from playing the keyboards/piano, Mux also composes music. He won the first prize in the "Composer's Today" competition conducted by the Music Teacher's Association of California for his composition "Pranava" . 

Poojaa Chiplunkar (Female Singer), VA.  Poojaa is a visharad in Hindustani Classical music from Gandharva University, India (1996). She learnt voice culture under the guidance of Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh and his Guru sister Geeta Prem. A professional artist since the age of 8, he has recorded for private music albums including duet song with Shri Udit Narayan, achieved several awards in intercollegiate competitions including first place awarded by music directors Shyam-Sunder in 1994, and has been a recording artist for All India Radio singing light Ghazals and Bhajans.

Pankaj Sharma (Electrical/Acoustic Guitar), VA. Pankaj has been playing acoustic and electric guitar for more than 10 years, and was in BITS Pilani club. He has been playing for Rasika for five years, and has performed in concerts in Atlanta, Charlotte, Augusta, San Jose, Richmond, and other cities.

Prabodh Chiplunkar (Male Lead Vocalist), VA.  Prabodh has been a professional singer performing all over USA since 5 years. Prabodh's natural talent comes from first childhood inspiration, his Mother Nandini Chiplunkar who is also a student of Hindustani classical music maestro late Shri Kumar Gandharva.  Selected for International SAREGAMA in 1999, and was the 1^st runner up position in the Final round of International Antakshari. He performs a variety of Indian music including old and new Hindi film songs Kishore Kumar, his music Idol. He also excels at Quawali and light Ghazals.  

Priya Raman (Female Singer)
Priya has undergone formal Carnatic Classical Training for ten years. She was in BITS Pilani Music Club, has performed as part of various bands such as Raagam (Chennai) and  Sangam (Columbus), and has been part of Rasika since 1998.  She can produce a melody of Lata or huskiness and power of Asha with the ease that will keep you spellbound.

Raghu (Male Solo Vocalist), New Jersey. Raghu has performed in numerous shows in USA and India, and has given solo concerts in Classical Music. He has 15 years of training in Classical Carnatic Music and has won many awards in college and national level competitions.

Shankar (Male Solo Vocalist) Quincy, MA. Shankar's voice reminds you of the legendary Mohd. Rafi. Shankar sings compositions that range from fast songs to Classical Hindustani ragas. He has won several inter-college music competitions in India. He also won the best voice award in college. He has rendered many bhajan programmes along with very popular artists in India. He has performed in numerous shows in USA and India. He is currently training under Shrimati Jugal Karintikal in Hindustani classical vocal music.

Shyamsunder Vaidanathan (Composer, Sound Engineer, Keyboardist), IL.  Shyam's composing career began at B.I.T.S. Pilani with creating original fusion music compositions, After he came to the Center for Computer Music at the University of Cincinnati, he worked with many young composers of computer music from various countries.  He worked with Bhavanishankar Ranganathan and Manisha Bahri and created his first album Prathama, a compilation of Instrumental pieces, Hindi, and Tamil Pop numbers. After moving to Chicago, he worked with Roshan Kamath, a talented Urdu poet, to create his second album of ghazals titled Humnafas. He has also composed and played with Doubleforte (jazz-fusion) and saxophonist Michael Fehrer on a jazz album. He is currently working on a movie score with Vishmita Gupta Smith, a director, working with People's TV, Atlanta. He is a self taught keybordist, and plays wide array of high-end synths including Korg (01W and 05RW) and Roland (XP-60 and JUNO), with numerous Midi and sound modules to provide complex rhythms and sounds. With Rasika, he has been part of    program in Atlanta ("Ek-Shaam Raksha ke naam") and San Francisco.

Sapna (Lead Female vocals), DC. Sapna is, should we say, the better half, of Kartik and is a very talented singer. Sapna is blessed with a melodious voice, which brings the most intricate ‘nuances’ in a song to its ultimate glory with uncommon ease. Sapna was very popular in the cultural circles in her native city of Coimbatore, and since coming to the US she has been singing in numerous events in and around Washington, DC. Rumor has it that her rendition of ‘Kannalane’ (from the film Bombay) was what initiated the connection between her and Kartik and further led to their marriage.

Sundi (Keyboardist/ Violinist), DC.  Sundi has played keyboards and violin for more than 10 years, including as part of the the BITS Pilani Music Club and several music shows in India.  As part of Rasika since 1998, he has played in its concerts in Atlanta, Charlotte, Augusta, San Jose, Minneapolis, Richmond, and other cities. 

Vaidi (Male Solo Vocalist), Delaware. Vaidi is a Very versatile singer with a terrific range. He has performed in numerous shows in USA and India, and has won many accolades in college in music competitions, He was the Secretary if the BITS Pilani Music club.

Other Rasika Artists:  Kiran Joglekar – Dhola; Jaywant – Dholak; Karthik: Octapad