I had the rare privilege of conversing with Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, an exceptional scientist and nation-builder. This unique opportunity allowed me to gain insights into his remarkable contributions and their impact on both scientific advancement and nation-building. Our transformative conversation left a lasting impression on me, reinforcing the significance of human potential and innovation. This encounter serves as a powerful reminder of the profound influence individuals can have on society. Enjoy the conversation.

Chethan Anant is a South Asian Classical bansuri (bamboo flute) player, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and music educator based in Chicagoland. He has studied the Raagdhaari Sangeet Classical Music tradition for most of his life. He has been fortunate to study under esteemed gurus, including Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Pandit Shyam Kane, Pandit Vikas Kashalkar, and Pandit Arun Kashalkar. Chethan has been teaching music since 2016 and has shared his new generational perspective on classical music with more than 50 students. He spends months each year studying with his gurus in India and extensive time practicing at home. Saurabh Kumar began learning tabla from the age of five from Smt Bindu Pathak and later received training from Shri Nishad Parmar. Since 2016 he has been learning from Shri Prithwiraj Bhattacharjee at the Pandit Jasraj School of Music Atlanta. Saurabh is currently a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Stanford University. He is an avid Zakir Hussain fan and treasures watching and listening to Zakir Sahab whenever possible.

Maya Vishwakarma is the Founder and Chairperson of Sukarma Foundation. A native of Mehragaon village in district Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh (MP), India, Maya has lived in San Francisco, California, USA, for nearly a decade and distributes her life between two countries. She is known as India's 'Padwoman,' and has tirelessly fought against society's deep-rooted decision that devalues the existence of menstruation among women. Sukarma Foundation is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization working on improving the lives of rural Indians. Key initiatives (or Karmas) by the foundation include educating women about the importance of female hygiene and sexual health, empowering them through employment opportunities via sustainable businesses, providing telemedicine facilities to people in remote areas with a want of timely quality medical assistance, making primary education available to children and adults from impoverished sections of the Indian rural population and many more. You can donate, help and learn more about the foundation: https://sukarmafoundation.org

In this Chaitime, we talk to poet, singer, songwriter, and inventor Kavish Seth. In this episode, Kavish talks about his musical journey and his latest single, Hindi Kavish has also conceptualized an innovative project, Zubaan, a music project that aims to create platforms for collaboration between independent music artists from different corners of India. Chapters have started in Odisha, Varanasi, Deoria, Kausani, Khetri, Nagpur/ Wardha/ Gadchiroli, Mumbai, and Kolkata, where around 30 artists have been collaborating and performing all across the mainland. Kavish has also created an innovative instrument, Noori, which allows him to play different kinds of music using the same instrument. Kavish graduated from IIT Bombay but chose to pursue music and connect with people.

In today's ChaiTime, we talk to Shri Anand Mahadeo Ganu, Founder-President of Garje Marathi Global, and Dr. Sanjay Bhandari, a leader and key contributor to Garje Marathi Global projects. Mr. Anand Gaju is the Founder-President of Garje Marathi Global (www.garjemarathi.com), a nonprofit registered in California, USA. Garje Marathi Global is a platform for 'Non-Resident Marathi' and 'Back to Motherland Marathi' ( परत मातृभूमीला मराठी) who value knowledge, education, and entrepreneurship. GMG has four main objectives: Networking, Mentoring, Giving back to society and our roots, and celebrating the success of Marathi around the world. Dr. Sanjay Bhandari is the Founder and CEO of a Stealth mode Start-up. Previously, he held positions as President & CTO at MEMSIC Inc., CTO and Sr. VP mCube (now Movella) and has won several awards, including EE Times/EDN Start-up of the Year award in 2012, "MEMS Start-Up of the Year" by MEMS Industry Group in 2014 and "MEMS/Sensor Device of the Year" in 2015. He has 69 filed patents, including 27 granted US patents. Today, we will talk about the organization and GMG's upcoming event - Garje Marathi Global Excellence Summit 2023 ICC, Milpitas on July 29, July 30, 2023. You can register and find all the information at: https://garjemarathi.com/event

Background Music - Morning Ragas by Ravishankar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n91Vhdrrkss)

In today's ChaiTime, we talk to renowned award-winning Indian classical vocalist Mahesh Kale (http://www.maheshkale.com). In this conversation, we talk to him about his musical journey and his upcoming Stanford Jazz workshop, Indian Jazz Journey, with jazz saxophone virtuoso George Brooks. Details of the workshop are here: https://stanfordjazz.org/more-info/indian-jazz-journey-mahesh-kale-george-brooks-22/ Mahesh Kale is a San Francisco Bay Area-based Indian Classical vocalist renowned for specializing in Indian Classical, Semi-Classical, Devotional, and Natya Sangeet. After winning India's National Film Award as the Best Playback Singer for a classical piece in the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli in 2016, Mahesh Kale has established himself as the face of Indian classical music of the new generation. Trained in the Gurukul learning system from the legendary Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, Mahesh is among the most sought-after performers globally. He has performed extensively in India, USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Mahesh and his wife, Purva Gujar Kale, have established Indian Classical Music and Arts Foundation, ICMA (http://www.maheshkale.com/new/#icma). ICMA is a not-for-profit organization working towards preserving, nurturing, and celebrating Indian classical music through activities and projects to expose global audiences to this art form and to aid its sustainment through charitable initiatives.

हम रहें या ना रहें कल, कल याद आएँगे ये पल At Chai time radio today, we celebrate KK's legacy on ChaiTime with Vamsidhar, a prolific singer and prominent bay area voice. It is not just a regular episode but a heartfelt collaboration of two ardent, dedicated fans of KK. I hope you will like it and send your good wishes and blessings to our talented singer Vamsi. Indian playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, who was fondly known as KK, died unexpectedly last year on May 31st. The untimely news of KK's demise shattered millions of fans, but the only solace is that he went doing what he did best - singing and winning millions of hearts. KK was one of the greatest playback singers of the modern era, and it is a humble effort to pay tribute to him through his songs sung by Vamsi. You can listen to the complete songs and stay updated with Vamsi's singing at: Youtube channel link: https://www.youtube.com/@vamsimusic Tribute to KK playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4brP8Gc9ag&list=PLTE0qBLi0A3zBagQcbfoOPW_EPhaTkjED&index=9

In today's show, we play Saaz, Awaaz, and Andaaz presentation Rhythms of the legends with नितिन शंकर जी. It was an honor to listen to stories and hear melodious music from the rhythm master Nitin Shankar Ji on the latest episode of Saaz Awaaz and Andaaz. Nitin Shankar Ji is a legendary rhythmist who has remastered Sholay theme music with contemporary instruments and was the rhythm arranger for the 1942 love story Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge, Devdas, Hum Dil de chuke sanam, Bajirao mastani, Kalank and many more. He learned tabla from the great maestro Ustad Alla Rakha Sahab and Zakhir Hussian Sahab and has worked with legendary composers like Sachin Dev Burman, Rahul Dev Burman, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This program was telecast live using Facebook Live with Nitin Ji joining from Mumbai and our bay area artists and a live audience in Pleasanton, CA. There is more to come in Part -2. *Saaz Aawaz Andaaz* (SAA) is a Unique Musical Initiative of the East Bay Karaoke (EBK) group with an objective to preserve Acoustic Music; Melody of Acoustic Musical Instruments & to motivate and encourage music lovers, especially the young generation. It was started by Mr. Vilas Thuse, a big fan, and connoisseur of Hindi cinema music. This program was conceived and organized by Vilas Da, with the notable music personality of the Bay Area, Raju Chidambaram, and the great team of Saaj Awaaz and Andaaz. You can support SAA with your kind contributions to the crowdfunded initiative. https://gofund.me/5c9f827b *SAA Team* Concept & Design: Vilas Da Program Director: Raju Chithambaram: Director of Technical & Sound Engineering: Vamsi Dhar: Marketing & Admin: Kanika Wah Audio-Visual Support: Abhijit Purandare Photography & Event Support: Chetan Wakade Videography & Event Support: Megha Thuse Creative Art & Event Support: Divya Raman: Event Management: Gayatri Seethamraju, Gitika Sharma, Priti Nagda:

मेरी प्रिय कविता - सीताः एक नारी (Sita: Ek Naari) श्री प्रताप नारायण सिंह by Chai Time Radio