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Annual Fundraiser Executive Team
The current YSTCA Annual Fundraiser executive team (Ananya Aiyer, Anish Anand, Dhrithi Balan, Manasa Praveen, Prasanna Shankar, and Shravya Rengan) are all middle and high schoolers who share a common passion for the Indian Classical Arts. Through the organization of CCC (Carnatic Chamber Concerts), each member of the team was able to join YSTCA with the support and guidance of Smt. Padma Mohan. Each member is also trained in multiple aspects of Carnatic music. The team hopes to support deserving local organizations through their events.
ANANYA AIYER
Ananya Aiyer is a freshman at Dougherty Valley High School who is passionate about Carnatic music and piano. She has been learning Carnatic vocal since the age of 4, and has learned from IAIM for the past 7 years. She has participated and won prizes at Papanasam Sivan, OSAAT, Lotus, SRFA and more. Alongside her musical interests, she enjoys photography and baking, and actively looks for opportunities to make a positive impact in her community. Through her involvement with YSTCA, she hopes to contribute to meaningful cultural events that bring people together while supporting important social causes.
ANISH ANAND
DHRITHI BALAN
Anish Anand is a freshman at Evergreen Valley High School, San Jose. He has been learning Carnatic Vocal from Sri. Hari Devanath from Sri Paduka Academy for the last 10 years. He has also been learning mridangam for the last 10 years and has been under the guidance of Sri. Chennai Thyagarajan for the last 5 years. Anish has participated and won prizes at Saptami, Bay Area Kala Utsavam, Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, & Papanasam Sivan music competitions, for both singing and mridangam. Anish also enjoys playing basketball with his friends, playing video games, and hanging out with his sister.
Dhrithi Balan is an eighth grader at Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino. She has been learning Carnatic vocal music under Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar (IAIM) for the past 8 years. She has been performing both solo and in groups in various musical events in the Bay area and outside. She has participated in various competitions and won prizes in Cleveland Aradhana, SaMaa Arts, Bay Area Kala Utsavam, Papanasam Sivan festival, and SAMPADA. Dhrithi also learns Bharatanatyam under Smt. Mythili Kumar in Abhinaya Dance Company and has been a performer in Abhinaya's Junior Dance Company productions. Apart from music and dance, she is interested in arts and is also very active in her school community. She is excited about collaborating with her friends as a member of the YSTCA team, combining her interest in Indian classical arts and managing community events.
MANASA PRAVEEN
Manasa Praveen is a sophomore at American High School in Fremont. She has been learning Carnatic vocal from Smt. Kalyani Ramani for over 8 years. She has won several prizes in International Competitions like India Octaves, Kalotsava/Veenadhari Institute, Shravya Season 5, and participated in the Anandam Fundraiser, Lotus Thyagaraja Aradhana, Bay Area Kalaa Utsavam, etc. Manasa loves to read, write, volunteer at CCC, play competitive badminton, and attend Model UN conferences. She was on the YSTCA team last year and is very excited to come back this year and collaborate with the other youth leaders to make a meaningful and impactful contribution to the community this year through music.
PRASANNA SHANKAR
Prasanna Shankar is an 8th grader at Challenger School in San Jose. She has been learning Carnatic vocal from Sri. Hari Devanath from Sri Paduka Academy for the past 7 years. She also started learning Carnatic violin under the tutelage of Smt. Sandhya Srinath for 2 years and is currently under the guidance of Sri. Vignesh Thyagarajan for the past 4 years. Prasanna has participated and won several prizes in competitions and events such as Bay Area Kalaa Utsavam, Papanasam Sivan, and Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. Outside of music, Prasanna participates in quiz bowl competitions, loves writing and photography, and is an active member of her school’s student council, as president. She loves being involved in her community and as a Youth Leader for YSTCA, she is very passionate about combining her love for Carnatic music with community service.
SHRAVYA RENGAN
Shravya Rengan is a 9th grader at Emerald High School in Dublin, California. She has been learning Carnatic vocal under Shri Shivakumar Bhat of IAIM for the past 10 years and is currently under the tutelage of Shri Delhi R. Sridhar for violin. Shravya has actively performed across various community and cultural platforms in the Bay Area. She strongly believes in giving back to the community and has been involved in several student-led clubs and initiatives. Outside of academics and music, Shravya enjoys playing badminton and long-distance running. As a Youth Leader with YSTCA, she is excited to combine her passion for music with service. She looks forward to supporting meaningful community causes while inspiring her peers to contribute and make a positive impact.
Senior Center Executive Team
The current YSTCA Senior Center executive team (Lalit Kovvuri, Nitika Pande, Vibha Raghavendran, Anirudh Suresh, Prayag Barath, and Mahathi Ivatury), are all high schoolers who share a common passion for the Indian Classical Arts; each member is trained in multiple aspects. The senior center team hopes to support local senior centers by spreading the joy of classical music to seniors in the community.
LALIT KOVVURI
Lalit Narayan Kovvuri is a junior at Archbishop Mitty High School. He has been learning mridangam for the past 11 years and is currently under the tutelage of Vidwan Sri. S. V. Ramani. Lalit has performed across the US and during the December Margazhi Season in many sabhas like Narada Gana Sabha, VVS Foundation, and Hamsadhwani in Chennai. He has also won several awards nationally and internationally in various mridangam competitions including the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Apart from mridangam, Lalit is also pursuing Carnatic vocal and violin under the tutelage of Vid Smt. Anuradha Sridhar. In his free time, he loves doing math and is a math coach at his old middle school.
NITIKA PANDE
Nitika Pande is a sophomore in Wilcox high school. She commenced her musical training under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Vasudha Ravi since she was 4 years old . She learns Violin from Shri Arvind Lakshmikanthan. She also plays Carnatic keyboard. She has won awards for her musical renditions in various competitions within US and in India .She loves to listen to music of all genres . She is trained in classical dance and enjoys the same. She’s passionate about mainly helping the seniors and engaging with the community.
Vibha Raghvendran, a rising senior at Monta Vista High School, is a disciple of Vidushi Smt. Vasudha Ravi and began her musical journey under the guidance of Guru Sri Shivkumar Bhat. She has been learning vocal Carnatic music for the past 13 years. She has performed in well-known forums such as Carnatic Chamber Concerts, LOTUS, and SRFA. She has also participated and won awards in competitions such as Papanasam Sivan, OSAAT, and Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. Vibha is a part of her school’s Science Olympiad team and enjoys reading and playing badminton. She is passionate about bringing joy to the elderly through Indian classical art forms, and will be co-leading the effort related to outreach events at various senior centers.
VIBHA RAGHAVENDRAN
ANIRUDH SURESH
Anirudh is a junior at Milpitas High School and has been learning mridangam for the past 11 years from Sri. Ravindra Bharathy Sridharan. He has also been learning vocal music for the past 7 years and currently learns from Sri. TN Arunagiri. In May 2024, he had his mridangam arangetram accompanying Sri. Bharat Sundar. He has played in the December Margazhi season in various sabhas and is a regular accompanist in the Bay Area and has supported various concerts organized by many different schools. He has also won prizes in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival and many more. Anirudh enjoys listening to music, and playing sports in his free time.
PRAYAG BARATH
Prayag Barath is a junior at Saint Francis High School, Mountain View. He has been learning carnatic vocal music from Guru Sri Hari Devanath for the past 10 years and has performed in established platforms like Carnatic Chamber Concerts, LOTUS, and Paduka Chamber Concerts. Prayag has also participated and won awards in competitions including Papanasam Sivan Festival, and Saptami. Prayag has been learning mridangam from Vidwan Sri Chennai Thyagarajan for the past 9 years and performs regularly in bay area events.
MAHATHI IVATURY
Mahathi Ivatury is an 8th grader at William Hopkins Jr. High. She’s been learning Carnatic vocal music for 7+ years at Sri Paduka Academy under Sri Hari Devanath, and Carnatic violin for the past 3 years under Vignesh Thyagarajan. She loves to play badminton and likes to listen to music in her free time. She is passionate about bringing joy and sharing our culture to the seniors through the Indian classical art forms.
OUR MENTOR
SMT. PADMA MOHAN
Smt. Padma Mohan, an IT professional-turned-art promoter, has been fostering Indian Classical art forms, especially Carnatic music in the Bay Area, since 2005. Padma has served in the cultural committees at Livermore temple, Fremont Hindu Temple, Carnatic Music Idol core team and has organized and hosted many concerts by budding and senior musicians. She founded Carnatic Chamber Concerts (CCC) in January 2009 which has become the pioneer platform for budding artists in the bay area with over 450+ music learning children currently enrolled and many on the waitlist. Under Padma's leadership, CCC, a registered nonprofit organization, has grown exponentially over the years and has enriched the musical growth of students learning music. Padma has been the adviser/mentor for the youth group Youth Services Through Cultural Arts (YSTCA) since its inception and under her mentorship, YSTCA has raised over $228,000 since 2012 for various local nonprofit organizations in the bay area.
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