For Immediate Release:

September 25, 2009, New York, NY: The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) is proud to present an evening with Chandrika Tandon to launch her new CD, Soul Call, on Tuesday October 6th at Aicon Gallery from 7-9pm. 2pxSoul Call takes the listener on a healing journey with Sanskrit shlokas and an important chant from ancient Indian texts - eight phonemes, Om Na Mo Na Ra Ya Na Ya. The IAAC celebration will feature music from the album along with the sale and signing of CDs.2px

Following her successful debut release, Soul Mantra, Chandrika, a leader in the fields of business and philanthropy, explores the eight phonemes of Om Na Mo Na Ra Ya Na Ya in this CD. “This is a powerful healing mantra that works to cleanse the eight vital centers of the body. Most of the songs’ introductions are verses of surrender to the grace that is present in every atom of every being. The chant is recreated as eight melodious songs in ragas melding Carnatic, Hindustani and Western influences and accompaniments.2px I composed the songs to be easy to sing by all audiences - young, old, East and West - whether they are trained in Indian music or not,” says Chandrika.2px “I also wanted to make the process of meditation and contemplation joyous, so there are vibrant rhythms and percussion instruments woven into the songs.”

Recorded both in Calcutta and New York, Soul Call incorporates world-class musicianship and production. The music has been arranged by the sarod master Tejendra Narayan Majumdar with assistance from Snehashish Mozumder, the gifted mandolin player – both with many albums to their credit. Rakesh Chaurasia, the fabled flutist, has provided accompaniment on multiple tracks.2px The album combines traditional Indian sounds such as sarod, sitar, and esraj with Western instruments such as piano, electric bass, and classical guitar.

Soul Call is Chandrika Tandon’s offering to the world.2px She is partnering with local and national charitable organizations such as the Indo-American Arts Council, Art of Living Foundation, the Arsh Vidya Gurukulam, and Hindu Temples in many parts of the US to use the CD as their fundraising tool, and to reach a wider audience that can benefit from the rejuvenating power of the songs.2px “I’ve spent my whole adult life building my business and using that to give back to the community,” says Chandrika.2px “I feel blessed to be able to give something that has been so personal and healing for me, the gift of my music. The IAAC and I have a long personal and professional relationship, and they have been doing an amazing job of bringing performing arts to New York City and the US. I am thrilled that all the proceeds of CD sales during this party will be donated to the work of the IAAC.

Five years ago, Chandrika revisited her musical roots and started taking voice lessons from Hindustani master, Girish Wazalwar. “Girish Dada gave me a window into this melodious, complex, yet totally enchanting world of Hindustani vocal music, where nothing else seemed to exist but the notes, and space, and the connection with a power far deeper than me,” says Chandrika. 2pxIn her journey she was further guided by other musical greats from multiple gharanas – T. Viswanathan of Wesleyan, Pandit Jasraj, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pandit Vijay Kichlu and Shubhra Guha.

Soul Call will be available online at CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes and others, as well as in2px stores. For more info on Soul Call go to www.soulchants.com

The Indo-American Arts Council has an exciting line-up of events this Fall. A key highlight is the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIACC) Film Festival from November 11-15. For other upcoming events organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, please visit .

About the Indo-American Arts Council:
The Indo-American Arts Council Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the2px awareness, creation, production,2px exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America.2px The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here. For more information, please visit

Press Contacts: Peepul PR
Gayatri Hingorani-Dewan: gayatri@mypeepul.com / 917.346.0551
High resolution pictures are available upon request