Management

Mr Khushroo N Suntook has had an illustrious career spanning over four decades in business, initially as one of the founders of India's first mineral water company, Bisleri, and later in various senior capacities in the Tata Group, where he still continues to sit on boards as an independent Director. He joined the National Centre for the Performing Arts, India's premier performing arts institution, first as the Vice-Chairman in 2000 and then as the Chairman in 2008. His brief tenure as Chairman of NCPA has witnessed changes which have vitalised this venerable institution.

Mr. Suntook is an avid music lover and has made a conscious effort to promote music in the city. Over the years, his passion for western classical music has led him to visit numerous international classical music and opera festivals. He is known in the record collecting world, and speaks to international audiences on old and rare vocal recordings and has a fine collection of vintage records. In 2006, Suntook gave India its very own orchestra — The Symphony Orchestra of India.

Mr Suntook wears many hats. A lawyer by profession, he is also qualified as a Fellow of the Company Secretaries of India. A State-ranked tennis player, Mr Suntook has won several prestigious titles and been actively involved in organising many tennis events in Mumbai, including Davis Cup and ATP tournaments.

Mr. Prashant Karkare has had a long corporate career spanning three decades across various capacities, most recently as the Vice-President of Business Improvement Group, Voltas, where he was responsible for driving initiatives such as Business Excellence, Process Improvements, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Sustainability in addition to handling all the property development matters.

Prior to Voltas, he was the Vice-President and Company Secretary at Tata Services Limited, where he handled Commercial, Taxation, Legal, Secretarial and general Management matters.

The Earlier part of his career includes Greaves Limited and Finolex Cables Ltd., in various capacities including as a Company Secretary; and relevant responsibilities included Corporate matters such as Import / Export, liason, Commercial, Mergers and Amalgamations, Legal and Company Secretarial.

Mr. Karkare is a Bachelor in Commerce with a Degree in Law from the Mumbai University. He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Intermediate C.A. In addition he has completed Management Programs conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and INSEAD. He has also completed Six Sigma Black Belt Programme conducted by the Sigma Institute, Glenview, Illinois, USA.

An avid lover of cricket, he has represented local clubs as also the Company in the Times Shield Tournaments and also take great interest in dramatics and music. He has also done his basic course in Reike and in Art of Living, and an Advanced Course in Transcendental Meditation.

With over 25 years’ experience in advertising, sports, entertainment and event management. Sanjeev was president of Ad lib Sports & Event Management, where he has handled a number of high profile events such as  The Kochi – Muziris Biennale, India’s largest contemporary art fair, media & logistics for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier league and The Indian team in the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes, to name a few. He was also a part of the team that created the “God’s Own Country” campaign for Kerala tourism, a path breaking campaign that has resulted in Kerala becoming one of the world’s most sought-after holiday destinations, has worked with American Express meetings and events, handling India and china business for their clients, in particular – Cisco Systems. Managed the set up and staffing of the Cisco pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. Sanjeev has successfully worked on a host of Entertainment, Art and Sporting events of varying profiles in some of India’s most challenging markets.

Internationally-renowned violinist Marat Bisengaliev is the founding Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of India. Described recently by The Times as a "brilliant violin soloist", Marat Bisengaliev has also been designated "a latter-day Ysaye" by the American Journal Fanfare. The New York Times says that "He has taken to heart a style of playing that was a hallmark of violin virtuosity early in the century”.

Marat was born in Kazakhstan in 1962 and made his debut at the age of nine. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow with two of the legendary names in violin tuition: Boris Belinki and Valery Klimov. He was a prize-winner in 1988 at the Leipzig International Bach Competition, and in 1991 won first prize at the International NicanorZabaleta Competition in Spain, also receiving the Special Virtuoso Prize.

Since signing a major recording contract with Naxos and Marco Polo in 1991, Marat has produced a number of acclaimed recordings. His recording of the Mendelssohn Concertos (Northern Sinfonia) became Gramophone Critic's Choice of the Year in 1998. Fanfare nominated his recording of Havergal Brian’s concerto (BBC SSO) as Critics’ Choice 1994. Elgar: Re-discovered works for violin, Vol. 1 (Black Box) was nominated for the 1999 Gramophone Award and the second volume wasnamed by Classic FM as one of the “Top 5 Elgar recordings”. Sony BMG awarded him a Gold Disc for his recording Tlep by Karl Jenkins. In 2000, he received the 1st Platinum Tarlan Award and the Government Medal of Honour in Kazakhstan.

Marat has performed with orchestras around the globe including theEnglish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish, Philharmonia, Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, BBC Ulster, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Mexico Symphony Orchestra, amongst others, playing in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

Apart from the SOI, Marat has also founded two orchestras in his home country. In 2003, he founded the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Their first CD—Karl Jenkins’ Requiem—was released on EMI and reached No.1 in the classical sales charts and was No.1 in Hall of Fame in Classic FM magazine. In 2012, he founded the Almaty Symphony Orchestra.

Highlights for the 2014-2015 season include concerts in New Zealand, China, USA, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mexico, India, Italy, France, Russia and the UK. An intensive recording schedule includes the album Virtuoso Violin and the Suite Nos. 1 & 2 - Shakarym&Abai, written by Karl Jenkins especially for Marat, to be released on Deutsche Grammophon.

ZANE DALAL was born and educated in England. Awarded an Organ Scholarship to the University of Oxford, he held the position of Choirmaster and Organist at Oriel College Chapel. During his tenure the choir made several tours within the United Kingdom, notably to the cathedrals at Lichfield, Ely, Coventry and York. He holds Masters Degrees in Music from both the University of Oxford, U.K and from Indiana University, at Bloomington.

Dalal made his debut in Orchestral Conducting in the United States at Indiana University. He became one of their most distinguished conducting students, performing and rehearsing a wide range of new works, concerti, symphonic repertoire and working closely on over 20 major opera productions. In 1989 Dalal attended rehearsals and coachings at the Bayreuther Festspiele, under the auspices of Daniel Barenboïm and Wolfgang Wagner. participated in the 1990 international competitions in Besançon and Lugano, placing as finalists in both.

In January 1994 his performance of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony with the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles, prompted enthusiastic endorsements from both Zubin Mehta and Daniel Barenboim. In September of 1994, Dalal led the Utah Symphony Orchestra in a special gala concert in Salt Lake City for the Lord Mayor of London, which launched the St. Paul’s Cathedral Appeal Fund in the United States. Preceding this event, he recorded a compact disc, with the same orchestra.

In 1995 Dalal competed in the prestigious 'First Leonard Bernstein Jerusalem International Conductors Competition'. From a starting field of 233 candidates, selected from international preliminary rounds held in Tanglewood, London, Vienna, Tel Aviv and Osaka, Dalal was one of 17 international finalists invited to conduct in Jerusalem. In 1996, by nomination, he was one of only nine conductors at the American Symphony Orchestra League “National Conductor’s Preview”, in Kansas City. Through the 1997/1998 season Mr. Dalal was invited to assist with the Dallas Symphony acting officially as cover conductor for selected concerts with Andrew Litton and guest conductors. Dalal has appeared with several orchestras across the globe.

In October 1999,. Dalal was invited to lead the Florida Philharmonic on a two program-four concert 'outreach' tour of the South Florida region. This successful endeavor, culminated at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater where Mr. Dalal was honored to accept the key to the city.

Founded in 2006, at the National Centre Performing Arts in Mumbai, The Symphony Orchestra of India, the nation’s first professional orchestra has fast become one of South Asia's best performing ensembles. The orchestra has performed a wide range of symphonic repertoire from Bach to Britten and large scale productions ranging from grand opera to the popular show. Dalal served as the orchestra’s Resident Conductor from 2007, joining the orchestra a few months after its founding. In September 2014, Dalal was appointed Associate Music Director of the orchestra. He continues to have deep involvement with all aspects and performances of the Symphony Orchestra of India– from conducting and rehearsing the musicians to helping shape the growth of the organization.

A keen musicologist, Dalal has initiated several steps in music appreciation at the NCPA, Mumbai. He regularly delivers lectures, pre-concert talks and pens articles and programme notes for the Symphony Orchestra of India. Dalal has been committed to many educational initiatives that help bring classical music to young children including all the music performance programs initiated by the NCPA, which in time will provide for local talent to flourish at internationally recognized standards. Mr. Dalal is a dynamic part of the music management team at the NCPA and is extensively involved in helping the NCPA, Mumbai bring western music to a wider audience.

Coming from a Zoroastrian background, Farrahnaz Irani was brought up on music and art, something so intrinsic to her native culture. Though she had studied science, she changed her career path and joined the Multi-Media Department of Universal Music (India) in 1996, where she managed electronic media planning, purchasing, positioning and controlling marketing spends. Farrah's dynamic and natural flair for interacting with people from diverse cultures led her to handling public relations and ground events for the Universal Music launch, where she managed events for artists such as Pankaj Udhas, Asha Bhosle, Falguni Pathak, Daler Mehndi, Shiamak Davar and Enrique Iglesias. She also handled the contracts and signing of new artistes, new films and recording of new projects as well as the album launch of both national and international artistes.

In 2004, she joined the NCPA under the able tutelage of Mrs. Vijaya Mehta. Here Farrahnaz handled multi-dimensional events such as the Mumbai Festival, the Sanctuary awards and the Mumbai International Film Festival. She now heads the Western Music department at the NCPA, which requires her to conceptualise, plan and execute Western Music Programmes. She is responsible for the budgeting, scheduling, signing of new artistes, scouting for new artiste talent and negotiating with the artistes. In 2008, Farrahnaz assisted in the launch of the Suzuki program at the NCPA which has already proved to be a huge success and attracted participation from more than 280
students aged 4-7.

Today Farrahnaz continues to blaze a musical trail with her organizational abilities.

Mukesh Parpiani is a renowned photo-journalist, having had an active media career of over 30 years. He has worked with The Daily and been the Photo Editor at The Indian Express and the Mid-day.

Parpiani took up the cause of popularising photography as an art form when he joined the NCPA. Since then he has organised several exhibitions in the gallery space. These exhibitions have showcased the individual works of established photographers but also that of budding students from different institutes of the city.

The gallery has seen enhanced activity and engagement with people over the last few years. Among the unique events organsied at the Gallery are a range of photography workshops for enthusiasts and budding professionals. Worth special mention here is the series of Dance photography workshops that were organised to train photographers to effectively capture movement, grace and expression of different dance forms- Indian and western. Photography workshops for children have also been very well received.

In 2012, Parpiani organised a retrospective exhibition on the Masters of Indian Photography, showcasing the pictures from the NCPA Archives. This was accompanied by a display of reference books and antique 19th century cameras for photography enthusiasts.

Parpiani is passionate about photography and even more so about popularising it among the public at large. He believes in showcasing diversity of talent, promoting new ideas and developing the gallery as a creative space for the exploration of the multiple dimensions of photography.

Swapnokalpa Dasgupta (Roychowdhury), an outstanding disciple of legendary Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and Guru Poushali Mukherjee, is a dancer proficient in the Odissi style of Indian classical dance. Since her early childhood she has trained under Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. She was considered by him as one of his talented disciples and an established, dedicated and devoted Odissi dancer with a sense of neat artistry and discipline. After his untimely death in 2004, Swapnokalpa started training under Guru Poushali Mukherjee. Under the tutelage of both the gurus she has mastered the art and technique of Odissi dance.

Swapnokalpa has been pursuing a professional career as a performer and teacher since last several years. She has performed in a number of prestigious venues and events in India, UK and France as a solo artist, which has earned her wide appreciation. She charms her audience with her expression and grace, combined with an excellent blend of sensuous moves and graceful foot work. In recognition of her talent and achievements, the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India awarded her the National Scholarship for Odissi dance in 2001. She was also awarded and recognized as a 'Nabin Pratibha' (New Talent) by the Paschim Banga Rajya Sangeet Academy (Directorate of Culture), Government of West Bengal State, India in 1999. In 2002, the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre of the Government of India awarded her in the Prativa Utsav (Talent Festival) organized in Kolkata (Calcutta), India for her proficiency in Odissi dance. She is currently in the panel of artists selected by the national television network of India, Doordarshan for dance and other cultural programs organized by Doordarshan (Bangla).

She has a dance school in Kolkata (Calcutta), India and is currently the Odissi dance teacher at the prestigious Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, UK - Indian Institute for Art & Culture. Apart from conducting dance classes she regularly organises workshops in various schools and institutions in India, UK and France. She has, on various occasions, been an instructor in the Dance Appreciation Course conducted by the Paschim Banga Rajya Sangeet Academy (Directorate of Culture), Government of West Bengal State, India.

Swapnokalpa has been actively involved in working with underprivileged children of the society. She works with a charitable institute in Kolkata (Calcutta), India and regularly teaches dance to underprivileged children. Swapnokalpa is trained in Dance Movement Therapy and uses this art therapy technique to build on self-esteem, confidence and communication skills among these underprivileged children. She also performs at charitable events and programs on a regular basis.

Swapnokalpa is interested in working on preserving the centuries-old rich and diverse traditions of Indian classical dances. She wants to work on the ways and means of preserving this valuable heritage in an effective manner and disseminating this knowledge to the largest possible number of people in India and abroad, particularly the younger generation. Swapnokalpa has completed a Masters programme in Arts and Heritage Management from the London Metropolitan Business School, London, UK.

Dr Suvarnalata Rao has had an illustrious career in Indian art music, as an artiste, a researcher and a curator.

She is a performing musician of the North Indian Classical music (Sitar). As a musicologist, Dr. Rao's area of specialization lies in the analysis of North Indian vocal music with an objective to study certain aspects of raga like intonation and melodic movement. Currently, she works as a Research Scientist and heads the Indian Music Programming department at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), India's premier arts and culture institution. As Head – Programming (Indian Music), NCPA, Dr Rao programmes, curates and presents over 80 innovative events and festivals, representative of everything from classical to contemporary in Indian Music, throughout the year.

As a research scientist, she is involved in the most prestigious research project an initiative by NCPA in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam "AUTRIM" – Automated Transcription System for Indian Music. The primary objective of this project is to develop an educational aid that can reinforce oral instructions in Indian music. As a result of this work, the NCPA has been recognised as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Government of India.

A B.Sc graduate and a Sangeet Visharad (Sitar) from Akhil Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Dr. Rao has completed her PhD programme with SNDT University. Until recently she served as an Editor to Journal of Indian Musicological Society, Mumbai.

Dr. Rao is formally trained in violin and is undergoing an advanced training in sitar from the sitar maestro Pandit Arvind Parikh since 1984.

Over the years, Dr Rao has received many fellowships and awards including Scholarship from the Netherlands Organization for International cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic) during April -September 1995 to work in The Netherlands in collaboration with the Rotterdam Conservatory of music on the project of 'Graphic representation of music', a Fellowship from the Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council (1996) to support the Post-doctoral research relating to making of Indian instruments, a Senior fellowship from the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), The Netherlands (1997) for the project of 'Raga-Guide' and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust grant (2004-2007, 2009-2011) for the AUTRIM project.

Dr Rao is also a published author of various books, research papers and articles, notable among her publications are Acoustical Perspective on Raga-Rasa Theory (New Delhi 2000) & Raga Guide (U.K. 1999).

Mr. N.P. Kale is a qualified Electrical Engineer with postgraduate diploma in computer software, systems analysis and applications. He has also taken an advanced course in 'sound recording and reproduction' from University of Mumbai.

He has over 35 years of professional technical experience with a track record of excellent result for providing technical facilities, operational and maintenance management. Since 1982 he has been involved with the NCPA's engineering and technical aspects, particularly in engineering operations and maintenance management of auditoriums, studios, AV archives, library and gallery.

Siddharth has been with the NCPA for over 8 years in the Finance team. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has also completed his Masters in Commerce with specialization in Finance and Accounts from the University of Mumbai. He has been a Gold Medalist in the College and a merit rank holder in the B.Com Examination of the University of Mumbai.

Apart from having experience in various Audits ranging from Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and other Corporates, post his CA qualification he has been with the NCPA.

He is now in charge of the Finance and Accounts Department as General Manager - Finance & Accounts, Financial Planning & Costing and is currently handling all financial activities including Budgeting, Income Tax, Management Accounting, Management Information System (MIS)  as well as Secretarial work. 

Siddharth has also written for “Maharashtra Times” and “Loksatta” on subjects of Economics and Globalisation and its impact. He is fond of Indian music, classical and otherwise and has interest in Cricket as well.