Chandrika Tandon Wins Grammy For Triveni

India-West Staff Reporter

LOS ANGELES, CA – Chennai-born Chandrika Tandon has made history by winning a Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. Tandon, a 71-year-old New York-based businesswoman and musician, received the honor for her album Triveni, a unique fusion of ancient mantras and world music. The award was presented during the ceremony held at the Crypto.com Arena here on February 3.

This Grammy win marks Tandon’s first victory and second nomination, following her 2010 nod for Om Namo Narayana: Soul Call. This year, she was nominated alongside notable artists including producer Ricky Kej, sitar player Anoushka Shankar, and Indian-origin British artist Radhika Vekaria.

Triveni is a seven-track album that creates a meditative journey aimed at promoting “inner healing.” A collaborative effort with South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto, the album merges their distinct musical styles, blending Tandon’s Sanskrit chants with the soothing sounds of flute and cello.

The title Triveni, which refers to the confluence of three rivers in Hindu tradition, symbolizes the fusion of diverse musical traditions.

Reacting to the win, Tandon emphasized the power of music to unite and heal, saying, “Music is love, music ignites the light within all of us, and, even in our darkest days, music spreads joy and laughter.”

Tandon has long been an advocate for the spiritual and healing power of music, explaining in a past interview with India-West, “To sing well the mind has to be in a very quiet place. The concept of spirituality to me is to be in that space…music has helped me find that quiet space.”

A pioneer in blending Sanskrit chants with Western musical traditions, Tandon’s work has been deeply influenced by her belief that music is a meditative practice. She shared with India-West, “When I sing, I am meditating, deep within myself. When I teach people to sing or am with students, I see God in them. That’s my spirituality.”

Her compositions have been performed at prestigious venues like the World Cultural Festival and Lincoln Center. As Artist in Residence for the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Tandon has also received a New York State Council on the Arts grant to compose Sanskrit chants for choral ensembles.

Beyond her musical achievements, Tandon is a prominent philanthropist and business leader. The first South Asian American woman elected partner at McKinsey, she is the founder of Tandon Capital Associates and chairs the Krishnamurthy Tandon Foundation. She also serves as a trustee of NYU and chairs the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where she has supported various education initiatives.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Tandon for her Grammy win. He posted, “Congratulations to @chandrikatandon on winning the Grammy for the album Triveni. We take great pride in her accomplishments as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and, of course, music! It is commendable how she has remained passionate about Indian culture and has been working to popularize it. She is an inspiration for several people. I fondly recall meeting her in New York in 2023.”