Sikkil Gurucharan


Sikkil C. Gurucharan is an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists the Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage of Vaigal S. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B. Krishnamurthy. He is an A grade All India Radio artist. The magazine India Today featured him among 35 Game Changers Under 35 in India, a list of young achievers from different walks of life.
In 2020, he acted in a Tamil anthology film, Putham Pudhu Kaalai.

Early life

Gurucharan's tonal perfection as a five-year-old led to him learning vocal music, despite being born to a family of flautists. He received initial lessons in music from his mother Mythili, and later received advanced training from S. Gnanaskandan, a disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.

Education and initial career

Sikkil Gurucharan was a student of Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School and was adjudged Best Outgoing Student. He received a master's degree in Financial Management from Loyola College in 2004.

Music as a profession

Sikkil Gurucharan's first concert was held at the Music Academy, under the aegis of the Gnanaskandan Trust in the year 1994. From the time he decided to devote himself to Carnatic music as a full-time professional, there has been no looking back. In a span of close to 13 years, Gurucharan has performed extensively in India and abroad, spanning prestigious venues such as the Music Academy, Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Riverside Theatres, Korean Arts Management Centre, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Chowdiah Memorial Hall and also at popular festivals like the Tyagaraja Aradhana, Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, Rabindra Utsav, to name a few.
Apart from performing the traditional Carnatic music concerts conforming to the Paddathi style, Sikkil Gurucharan and pianist Anil Srinivasan, have brought together the classical piano and Carnatic vocal music to create a format which has been termed as "devastatingly beautiful" by the guitarist John McLaughlin. Their music which has gathered followers in India, Singapore, Australia, USA and Europe in a short span of time, presents and preserves classical music in a way that reaches out to the younger listeners of music but at the same time, satisfies the puritans who look out for the aesthetic value. They have several albums to their credit. The duo has performed with renowned artists like the Dhananjayans, Anita Ratnam, Anandavalli, Ramli Ibrahim and Muraad Ali among others.

Awards & recognition

He has also won several prizes in the competitions held at Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts etc. during the years 1995–1999

Albums & discography

Sikkil Gurucharan is among young musicians who stand as youth ambassadors for the future of Carnatic Music. In bringing this art to students and aficionados alike, he has opened the gates to a larger and interested audience having a welcoming attitude towards innovation while retaining the spirit of the original art form. This is evident in his active participation in youth festivals, lec-dems and his concerted effort at recording theme-based albums that have greater appeal with listeners.
Gurucharan has worked on an album with John McLaughlin, Mandolin U. Srinivas, Louis Banks called "Miles from India" which was nominated for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.
His album "Ramayana" is a musical dramatisation of the epic, drawing on ragas and kritis to portray the various episodes. This album has been the underlying theme in Gurucharan's concerts in Singapore and Indonesia and received critical acclaim. On the other hand, his album "Madhirakshi", together with Anil Srinivasan, is the first of many a contemporary experiment with piano and voice. The album "Parama", has recently received a nomination for the category 'Best Carnatic Classical Album – Vocal' at the Global Indian Music Awards 2011.
Here is a comprehensive list of his albums.
GenreTitleReleased ByYearMore Details
CarnaticKaveri PattinamRajalakshmi Audio2004
CarnaticRamayana, The Story of RamaRajalakshmi Audio2005
CarnaticPeraanandamRajalakshmi Audio2006
CarnaticThe Lilting NeelambariRajalakshmi Audio2006
CarnaticShadanane, The Six-faced LordRajalakshmi Audio2007
CarnaticTrinetram, The Three-eyed ShivaRajalakshmi Audio2008
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2004
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2005
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2006
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2007
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2008
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2009
CarnaticDecember Season Live ConcertsCharsur Records2010
CarnaticGanapatyamCharsur Records2005
CarnaticGovindam IhaCharsur Records2006
CarnaticSaarupyamCharsur Records2010
CarnaticParamaCharsur Records2010
CarnaticEmerging MastersAmutham Records2007
CarnaticThe Concert Amutham Records2008
CarnaticKamala CharaneAmutham Records2008
CarnaticSri Krishna KamalamAmutham Records2008
CarnaticChidanandam, Live Concert at ChidambaramSanskriti Records2009
CarnaticSarvam Bramha Mayam, Live Concert Sanskriti Records2010
DevotionalTiruppavaiGiri Trading Company2005
DevotionalTiruvembaavaiGiri Trading Company2006
DevotionalBhajan SangrahGiri Trading Company2007
ContemporaryMadhirakshiCharsur Records2007
ContemporaryMaayaa, The Color of RainCharsur Records2008
ContemporaryThe Blue DivineSanskriti Records2009
ContemporaryTarunamSanskriti Records2010
ContemporaryKannamma Sanskriti Records2010
ContemporaryThe Story of SilkSilkworm Boutique2012
ContemporaryMiles from IndiaEMI Records2008
ContemporaryRaaga ExpressionsEMI Records2010

Personal life

Sikkil Gurucharan's mother Mythili, the daughter of Sikkil Kunjumani, is a retired flute teacher from the Government Music College, Chennai. His father Chandrasekaran, a consultant with a leading pharmaceutical distribution firm, is a popular Tamil theatre artist who has also done cameo roles in films like Sivaji. Gurucharan married Janani Lakshminarayan on 23 May 2010 and the couple resides in Chennai. They have two children. His maternal aunt Sikkil Mala Chandrasekar is an acclaimed flautist and is married to Chandrasekar, grandson of the singer M. S. Subbulakshmi.