SRI YANTRA SACRED GATHERING

MEDITATION • MUSIC • DANCE • KIRTAN

Sunday, September 20th  |  2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Hosted by Gaayatri  |  Located in our Yoga Asana Room

Yogalution Movement & Wellness Event Host

GAAYATRI

Website: www.gaayatrimusic.com

Email: [email protected]

US address: 30025 Alicia Parkway, Suite 634 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

India Address: 503 Swagruha Sapphire Dutch Layout, Beach Road, beside Visakha Museum, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530017

India Contact Number: +91 9800015281

Lineage & Training

GAAYATRI is a Nāda Yogini and pure vocalist of the Rampur–Maihar Senia Gharana, one of the most influential lineages of Indian classical music in the modern era, and one of the last living traditions of Nāda Yoga tracing back to Mian Tansen and his Guru, the great Naad Yogi Swami Haridas.

She is the last disciple and youngest disciple trained from the age of four under the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in the traditional Guru–Shishya parampara. She grew up immersed in the practice of Rāga
as a path of spiritual sādhanā and self-realization.

After her Guru’s passing, GAAYATRI received the blessings of Smt. Annapurna Devi, who, upon hearing her sing, affirmed that GAAYATRI’s presentation was true to the authentic teachings she herself had
received from her father, Ustad Acharya Allauddin Khan.

Dhrupad & the Senia Aesthetic

Her foundational training is in Dhrupad of the Senia lineage, rooted in the ancient Śuddha Gīti tradition derived from Sāmaveda chanting styles. These chant forms later evolved into what came to be known as Śuddha Bāṇī, which became the basis of Gauhar Bāṇī within today’s four-bāṇī Dhrupad system.

GAAYATRI’s artistry reflects the defining aesthetic of this lineage: an uncompromising emphasis on rāga purity, tonal precision, and resonance, where music unfolds as a contemplative and devotional practice rather than a pure display of virtuosity.

While some Dhrupad traditions emphasize strength, elaborate ornamentation, or compositional lyricism, the Senia approach is closely tied to the ethos of saints and sages absorbed in deep meditation—an inheritance associated with Swami Haridas himself. The focus lies in the potency of each note, the depth of its vibrational impact, and the energy of rāga, through sustained sādhanā, to function as a tool for spiritual awakening. Heavy gamak embellishment is used sparingly in order to preserve clarity, stillness, and inner resonance.

Vocal Music of MaiharThe Senia lineage has historically produced generations of Dhrupadiyās and Bīnkārs. This lineage went on to become one of the most influential gharanas of the modern era, giving rise to towering figures such as Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Smt. Annapurna Devi.

Although today the Maihar Gharana is known almost exclusively for its instrumentalists, its roots are fundamentally vocal—every instrumentalist was trained first in Senia Dhrupad vocal music. Gaayatri stands as a rare pure vocalist of this lineage, trained exclusively in its vocal traditions by Ustad Ali
Akbar Khan in Dhrupad, Kalāwantī Khayāl (Dhrupad-ang Khayāl), and light classical and devotional forms of rāga. 

Light Classical, Regional, & Devotional Music

Coming from a Vedic home and as descendent of the great Sanskrit poet scholar Sri Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni, GAAYATRI also studied Sanskrit growing up, and her family avidly championed Sanskrit and Telugu poetry through which she grew up with the literary works of great scholars and poets such as Sri Kalidasa, often recited in padyam form by her paternal Grandfather. She is an avid reader of Sanskrit literature and studies Vedic philosophy deeply.

Musically, alongside her pure classical training, she also sings light classical styles such as Thumri, Tappa, Ghazal, Dadra, and Dhun, regional styles such as Kajri, Chaiti, Rajasthani folk, Pahaadi folk, Avdhi, Abhang, Natya Sangeet, Raas/Garba songs, and devotional styles such as Bhajan, Kirtan,
Ashtapadi, and Haveli Sangeet. She has a unique repertoire of Sant poetry by Mirabai, Kabir, Surdas, and Tulsidas composed in Raagas in the signature Maihar devotional style. She often incorporates these elements into her performances, as well as Sanskrit mantras and Vedic chants. She also composes her own devotional songs and writes her own lyrics in Sanskrit, and Braj Bhasha.

Career and Collaborations

Born and raised in the United States, Gaayatri has developed a distinctive artistic path that brings her traditional classical training to a wide and diverse global audience. She began performing at the age of seven under the guidance of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and over the past three decades has appeared at festivals and venues across the United States and India. She has led numerous workshops and lecture demonstrations in schools and universities extending awareness of the music to a new generation.

Notable appearances include Jaipur Literature Festival, San Francisco World Music Festival, Festival of Tabla, and the 52nd International Dhrupad Mela in Varanasi where she received a standing ovation for
her Dhrupad performance.

She has released a number of albums presenting the traditional repertoire of her lineage through her Vocal Music of Maihar project, with recordings available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and all major digital streaming platforms. Currently, she is working on recording and presenting over 500 vocal compositions of the Maihar Gharana - many having never before performed or shared.

Alongside her work in Indian classical music, Gaayatri has contributed her voice and compositional sensibility to global cinema, television, and media. She began her career in the film industry as a studio assistant to A. R. Rahman, and has since worked as a vocalist and composer on major international productions, including projects for Disney and Marvel. Notable works include her composition “Jeet Hai Hamari” for Marvel Studios’ animated series What If...?, League of Legends’ Nilah’s Theme, and the opening theme for Disney’s Million Dollar Arm. Her Indian vocal compositions have also been performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. Across this body of work, Gaayatri consistently carries her Indian classical roots into contemporary contexts, bringing the depth, discipline, and resonance of rāga to the global stage.

Links

Website: https://gaayatrimusic.com

YouTube: http://youtube.com/@gaayatrimusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaayatrimusic

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@gaayatrimusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3VaCKO3u7bekl0FhJBFE7E

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/gaayatri/1080719136

Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1690021/?ref_=fn_t_1