Bios

Devissaro - Composer/Director

Born in Australia, Devissaro originally trained in classical piano, and studied music composition at University of Western Australia. In 1980 he visited India, and has lived there ever since. From 1983-89 he studied Hindustani (north Indian) vocal music of the Dagarbani Dhrupad tradition under the renowned Dagar family, as well as bansuri (Indian flute) and pakhawaj (north Indian drum). Since 1993 he has lived with his family in Trivandrum, the southern-most city of India.

Devissaro along with his wife Daksha Sheth is a founder and Artistic Co-Director of Daksha Sheth Dance Company. He also works as a freelance Music Director, composer and musician for TV, theatre and film. Most recently Devissaro has been Music Director for the renowned multi-lingual Indian production of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night's Dream” directed by Tim Supple, that has been described as “the most life affirming dream to be seen in the UK since Peter Brook’s production of 1970!

Anil Ram - Solo Vocals, percussion

Lead singer of Asima, Anil Ram has studied Carnatic classical music for 25 years under masters like Varkala Gopalakrishnan and Thiruvananthapuram Ajithkumar, and more recently under the famous musician Varkala C. S. Jayaram. He is a graded artist of All India Radio, Trivandrum, and a sound recordist by profession. Anil Ram performs as a carnatic vocalist in kacheris and is also a noted playback singer. having recorded songs with well known Music Director M. G. Radhakrishnan. Anil Ram also has a special flare for tradional percussion instruments.

Gokul Bhaskar - Conductor, vocals

Conductor of Asima, Gokul Bhaskar studied carnatic classical music from an early age under his teacher Viswambharan, singer of Gazals. He is a graded artist of All India Radio, Trivandrum, and a member for many years of the MBS Youth Choir, Trivandrum. He holds a M.Sc degree in Mathematics.

Khalid - Vocals. Percussion

Khalid has studied carnatic vocal music under the famous master Varkala C. S. Jayaram, and holds the diploma of Ganabhushanam from Swati Thirunal College of Music, Trivandrum. Khalid teaches Carnatic music at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Trivandrum, and is a well known Kerala Ganamala vocalist. He is also a trained percussionist, specialising in kerala's traditional drums, and a member of the MBS Youth Choir for many years.

Anoop Sivanand - Vocals, Percussion

A classically trained singer and professional musician, Anoop Sivanand has sung in many popular Malayalam music albums, and has performed widely in stage shows in the country and abroad. He holds a degree in Hindi from the University of Kerala.

Sreekumar - Vocals, Percussion

Sreekumar trained as a Carnatic classical vocalist under the mentorship of Iraniyal Perumal and Annapoorna, and holds a music diploma from Swati Thirunal College of Music, Trivandrum. A founder member of asima, he is currently Music Content Manager for FM Radio in Dubai.

Anoop Mohandas - Vocals

A freelance vocalist and actor based in Trivandrum, Anoop Mohandas learns Carnatic music under Shri. Varkala C S Jayaram and Hindustani music under Smt. Abhradita Banerjee. He has sung in a number of albums and performed in wide range of stage shows.

Sajith Padmanabhan - Traditional Drums

Sajith Padmanabhan is a traditional drummer who performs daily in temples in Trivandrum. He is a specialist in tavil, timila and edakkya and is proficient in a wide range of traditional drums. Sajith also plays drums for dance recitals and is a freelance percussionist for recordings, TV and stage.

Tao Issaro - Drum Kit, other percussion

The son of Devissaro and Daksha Sheth, Tao Issaro studied drum kit initially under Joe Boy in Trivandrum, and later with Ranjit Barot and Gino Banks in Mumbai. He has also studied tabla and kanjira as well as keyboard. From the age of 11 Tao has been a percussionist with the Daksha Sheth Dance Company, and as a member of the company has toured widely in India and abroad. Tao is a graduate of classical percussion from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts and is much in demand both in India and Australia as a percussionist and composer.