Growing up in the humble environs of a house in Chennais T Nagar,walking daily to their Madras Christian College in the 1970s,the Krishnamurthy sisters always dreamed big. Thirty years later,the younger one would come to be known as one of the 50 most powerful women in the world,while the elder would make a mark for herself turning around ailing banks in the US into profitable ventures. However,even Indra Nooyi and elder sister Chandrika Tandon perhaps never factored a Grammy in. Thats what Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon has accomplished now her album,Om Namo Narayana: Soul Call (Soul Chants),arranged by Kolkata-based musician Tejendra Majumdar,has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary World Music Album 2011 category. It is such an unexpected gift. There are some extraordinary people who shortlist these entries and this nomination is a great honour. I am filled with gratitude. My sister and the rest of my family are really excited about this, Tandon told The Sunday Express from her New York residence. While Nooyi may be better known of the two,the elder Krishnamurthy has made a mark for herself with her New York-based Tandon Capital Associates,which re-engineers banks to make them more profitable and efficient. Come February 13,however,she enters a whole new league,when she will share the stage with some of the worlds best known musicians like Eminem,Bela Fleck,Rihanna,Clayton Brothers and many more at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles for the Grammy awards ceremony. Two others from India have won nominations this year,including Delhi-based tabla player Sandeep Das in the Classical Crossover category and US-based Vijay Iyer,who has been nominated for his album Histrocity in the Best Traditional Jazz Album category. Tandons album has eight tracks based on eight different ragas,including Bhopali,Bhairavi and Shuddha Sarang, and takes the simple mantra Om Namoh Narayana (better known as Narayana Kavacham) to a global platform. She is pitted against 13-time Grammy-winning composer and banjo player Bela Fleck,Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto,iconic singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo from Africa and classical pianist Sergeo Tempo in her category. For me and my family we have already won. But to be pitted against artistes I have heard for so long,apart from other nominees in various categories whom I have admired. things could not have been better, laughs Tandon, who brought out her first album,Om Namoh Shivaya,almost five years back as a gift on her father-in-laws 90th birthday. Talking about the music that has influenced her and her own interpretation of it,Tandon says: I did train in Carnatic classical music and Hindustani classical music,but since I have travelled the world,I am influenced by a range of styles. Music for me is not about sitting on a stage and performing complex vilambit khayals. It is more of a spiritual experience. It has to be simple where people can sing along and become a part of that experience. It is all about reaching your inner grace, says Tandon,who learnt music from classical singer Shubhra Guha and is currently under the tutelage of vocalist Girish Wazalwar. I learn whenever I can go to India or when Girish da is in the US. The moment I have a tune in my head I call him and hum the tune, says Tandon,who lives in New York with husband Ranjan Tandon,who himself runs a finance company. Daughter Lita,who is a Yale graduate,works in Washington. Juggling board meetings and crazy schedules,Tandon admits,gets tiring. But music gives me peace.
