VVS Foundation,USA
501(C)(3) approved charity organization
Suryanarayanan S Iyer - President
Suryanarayanan S Iyer (Suri Iyer) is a passionate Carnatic music aficionado. Hailing from the tradition rich Mylapore, Chennai under the canopy of Arulmigu Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Suri Iyer has been an avid follower and student of the art form from his childhood. Now living in the Greater Portland area in the Pacific Northwest, USA, Suri Iyer continues to promote all forms of South Indian cultural activities by volunteering in local non profit organizations such as the Hindu Educational and Cultural Society of America (HECSA). He learnt Ghatam from the world renowned percussion maestro Sangeetha Kala Acharya (late) Sri. T. H. Subash Chandran and continues his training under Sri. Kanjira Ganesh Kumar. Suri Iyer is a Managing Director and Finance Controller at Lam Research. He has also had a long career in Finance and Operations at Intel Corporation and in the Automotive industry.
Suchitra Murari - Vice President
Sankari Vijayan
A teacher by profession and an intensely service minded individual, Suchitra Murari, has been into diverse fields of service from music to education, to handling special kids, elderly care and so on. Suchitra, a masters degree holder of Banking Management, started her career as a banking professional and after a stint of half a decade in the banking industry, switched careers and entered into the field of education with a vision to make a change at the grass root level after completing a specialized degree in Montessori and Bachelors of Education. She has since been a passionate primary teacher for well over a decade now. Being an ardent rasika of South Indian classical music (Carnatic Music), she has been servicing to the music community for many years now. Her interest in classical art forms helps her to understand the need of propagating the same through VVS Foundation. She helps the organisation towards the achievement of its vision and mission.
Ranjani Varaghur - Secretary
Ranjani Varaghur is an educator who lives in Hudson, Ohio. She holds Master’s degrees in Environmental Sciences, GIS and in Business Administration. Ranjani is passionate about teaching and is the Center Director at Mathnasium and also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Akron. In the past, she has also been a lecturer in Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She is a Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical) dancer and teaches the art form in the Greater Cleveland area. She has also taught Chinmaya Balvihar classes to young kids, which involved teaching about Indian heritage through stories and bhajans. Ranjani firmly believes that art is the medium through which culture can be preserved and nourished. With a combination of Art, Business and Academia, Ranjani enjoys being a part of SaMaa arts which provides a platform to sustain classical art forms and hopes to do the best she can to continue the work of this organization
Priya - Assistant Secretary
A Masters degree holder in Public Administration from University of Madras, Priya started her career in the banking industry. Later her interests opened up new vistas to pursue a different path which aligned with her ideologies and prompted her to quit a lucrative corporate career and focus on inner peace. As an ardent learner, an avid reader, Priya is also passionate about classical music, especially Carnatic music. Priya continues to learn classical music till date and she has been part of many group events that were conducted by the music academy she is part of. She has also been teaching music and shlokas to interested young children to impart the values of the cultural roots that they belong to. She is also part of an NGO called "Hidden Voices" that prepares content suitable for visually challenged people.
Murari Vadakkencheri - Executive Director
Banumathi JaiGanesh - Director Branding and Marketing
A freelance musician with over three decades of professional performance experience. He is a thinking musician and has strong ties with global music. Murari has held top management position in banking and other corporate sectors before starting his own Arts foundation in India. Murari with his management and music background aims to put the Indian classical music in the world map with a difference. Murari, a visionary has successfully launched his new concepts at varied stages across the globe and aims to connect with like minded artistes, entrepreneurs, connoisseurs across the North America and beyond. He will be heading various projects of SaMaa Arts llc from time to time and take care of the operations and public relations portfolio as well.
Banu is an Electrical and Electronic engineer currently working as a Senior Software Quality Manager at Intelliguard, a start up company located in Carlsbad, CA. An avid learner, connoisseur, Banu has taken to learning string instruments as her recent hobby and is taking lessons on Guitar and Mandolin for the past few years. She teaches South Indian Classical music and is an artistic director of NaadhaYogam School of Music based in San Diego, CA. She has participated in various community events as a volunteer and has been part of many outreach activities in the San Diego area conducted by different Organizations. She is also one of the Directors at Ramoo & co Group (EST1944) and Ishwarya Banu Enterprises in Tamilnadu coimbatore (India) taking care of her Father-in laws 72 years old Retail business. Banu being a high energy person, believes in showcasing the talents of different genres in the right platform and comes up with novel ideas and strategies often. She is determined to make the difference to the way the art is performed and marketed so far and likes to be the change being part of SaMaa Arts.
Arun Mahadevan - Treasurer
Arun Mahadevan is a Carnatic vocalist currently under the training of Vidwan Delhi P. Sunderrajan. He has performed concerts at venues in India and the USA, in addition to providing vocal accompaniment for several Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi recitals. Arun is a faculty member at Shruthi Swara Laya school of music (Fremont, California) in Carnatic vocal music. Arun holds a PhD in Bioengineering, and works as a scientist at Rarebase, a biotechnology startup in Palo Alto.