Classical Track

Boston-based Sriram Emani, founder of the start-up IndianRaga, is giving traditional art forms a modern makeover, finds Akhila Krishnamurthy

In February this year, in the Al Badayer Desert on the outskirts of Dubai, three young dancers born and raised in USA and dressed in traditional Bharatanatyam costumes performed abhinaya (expression) and nritta (movement) to ‘Aadu paambe’, a classic Tamil folk song that celebrates the beauty and majesty of the snake and its dance. For nearly six hours that morning, with the desert sun for company and snoopy camels in the background, the dancers sweat it out to shoot for a video that they hope will become a befitting new ode to this iconic song. As of April, this will become the 382nd video released on IndianRaga’s YouTube channel.

At the helm of the shoot was Sriram Emani, 32, co-founder and CEO of IndianRaga, a Boston-based initiative geared towards making Indian classical arts accessible to the current generation. “I believe our classical arts were founded by visionaries who designed them to be timeless. We just have to empower today’s generation to define how these forms can be relevant to their journey,” he says. Through different channels, the company has been instrumental in unearthing little-known creative talent, and introducing them to a structured programme, where they are coached on how to collaborate on an impactful piece of work, record in a professional setting, and evaluate its reception upon release.