Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon loses Grammy

US-based Indian corporate honcho and classical singer Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon lost out on the Grammy for the best contemporary world music album for “Om Namo Narayanaya: Soul Call”.

Tandon lost out on the prestigious award to Bela Fleck (Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks). The other nominations included Bebel Gilberto (All In One), Angelique Kidjo (ÕŸÖ) and Sergio Mendes (Bom Tempo) at a glittering ceremony Sunday night.

Her Grammy-nominated album features Sanskrit chants and combines traditional Indian sounds such as sarod, sitar, and esraj with the Western instruments such as the piano, the electric bass and the classical guitar.

While the vocals are given by her, the music has been composed by sarod player Tejendra Narayan Majumdar with assistance from Snehasish Mojumder, the mandolin player.

An Indian Institute of Management (IIM) alumna, Tandon was born and brought up in Chennai and is sister of PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. She herself worked with McKinsey and Company for 11 years.

Apart from being a singer, Tandon is also the trustee of New York University and American India Foundation. She serves on the Board of Overseers at the NYU Stern School of Business, where she is also Executive-in-Residence.

She lives in New York City with her husband Ranjan, founder and president of an investment firm, and their daughter Lita.

Last year, music maestro A.R. Rahman did the country proud by winning two Grammy gongs for Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”. Sitar expert Ravi Shankar and tabla great Zakir Hussain are also among the Indians that have brought Grammy home.