About Us
Shirish (Vocals)
Shirish is the founder of Kashish and has performed extensively in the US and internationally. A composer and singer, Shirish earned a bachelors degree in Indian classical music (vocals) and is also accomplished in playing the tabla and keyboard. He has performed with leading composers and musicians in India and the US. Most recently, he was the winner of the New England Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest (similar to American Idol) from over 100 contestants. He currently learns Hindustani Classical vocals from Kumkum Sanyal. Professionally, he is an entrepreneuer and an investment banker and is a graduate of IIT, Stanford and Harvard Universities.
Sudha (Vocals)
Sudha is a versatile singer having learnt Carnatic and Hindustani classical music for several years. She has performed frequently in India and the US and has done fundraisers for different non-profit organizations like the spastics society and SPIC MACAY. She is equally at ease singing light, semi-classical and classical songs. A structural and software engineer by profession, she is also an active volunteer in the Boston area.
Meena (Vocals)
Meena is a writer, producer and singer and has been performing in the Boston area for many years. She loves performing for charity organizations and community events. She learnt Carnatic music from the Late Pallavur Mani Iyer and is currently a student of Warren Senders in Hindustani classical music. She wrote and produced a play titled “Mirabai- the Musical” performed in November 2008 with young actors and singers. Professionally, she is a cardiologist at the Newton Wellesley Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Sankar (Vocals)
Sankar's journey into the musical world started at a very young age when his father greatly inspired him by introducing him to the songs of the legendary Mohammad Rafi. He is also highly influenced by his wife Uma Sankar, who is an accomplished classical musician and teaches music in the Boston area. Sankar also plays the Tabla and can proficiently play any instrument he lays his hands on. Sankar has performed extensively in India and the US, including performances with many Tamil bands in the New England area. Professionally, Sankar is the owner of a consulting company that provides strategic IT and compliance solutions to the Life Sciences industry.
Kumkum (Compere)
Kumkum is a writer and a poet who creates beautiful poetry at the events she comperes by putting together words that express the human condition with music and the human voice. She has compered a wide variety of events ranging from music shows to workshops integrating art and poetry, and book readings. She is also trained in Hindustani classical vocals. Professionally, Kumkum is a Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of experience with practices in Wellesley and Norfolk. Her specialization is Motherhood. She has a Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and received her doctoral training as a Fellow at the Harvard Medical School.
Aditi (Compere)
Since the early age of four, Aditi has been performing on stage as an amateur theatre artiste. She is a trained singer and sitar player under the tutelage of Padmashri Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan. She has directed many a productions in the Boston area, often with 70 plus performers on stage. Aditi serves as the President of New England Marathi Mandal and on the board of India Association of Greater Boston. In 2009, Aditi was honored in the '40 under 40' list by the Boston Business Journal as one of the upcoming leaders in the New England area. Professionally, she works for a large accounting firm in the Governance, Regulatory & Risk practice.
Ishan (Guitar)
Ishan has performed with various bands in India and in the US and has played bass, rhythm and lead guitar with different groupsand varied kinds of music. He has also been an active musician at various MIT events in Boston. Ishan is a research scientist, and works in the pharmaceutical industry
Sujit (Lights / Production)
With his expertise and training in stage and lights, Sujit has managed the production for several large shows in US and abroad. Passionate about performing arts and engineering, Sujit blends both aspects on stage. His meticulous planning and execution behind the scenes makes each show an exhilarating experience. He is also a co-host for popular community radio show in the Merrimack valley. A mechanical engineer by profession, Sujit enjoys computational challenges in distributed computing.
Christy (Composer, Keyboard)
Christy is a well regarded pianist and composer playing in the Boston area for the past 15 years. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory, and is currently a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music. Biggest influences of Christy's music are Sting, Dave Mathews, U2 and A R Rahman. Christy enjoys tasteful improvisation of Bollywood hits.
Harshal (Tabla)
Harshal started learning tabla under Pandit Gopalrao Wadegaonkar (disciple of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan Sahib) of Farrukhabad Gharana at the tender age of 4 and gave his first solo performance at the age of 6. Winner of several national competitions, he has accompanied internationally famed artists such as Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya, Pt. Bhajan & Abhay Sopori, Pt. Raghunath Seth, Warren Senders, Phil Scarf, Steve Gorn, Pt. Vinay Torvi, Pt Vidyadhar Vyas & Pandit Mohan Singh. Harshal is a computer scientist by profession in the financial technology space.
Hiral (Drums)
A Software engineer by profession, Hiral has been performing for many years. A fast-learner and self-starter, he first started playing drums at the age of 10 and decided to make drumming more than just a hobby. He loves playing all different genres of music - oldies, contemporary rhythms that involve playing multiple percussion instruments (drums/congo/bongo), folk music and Indo-Western fusion rhythms that give an Indian touch to Western beats and vice versa.
