DNA showcases the cultural trailblazers of the last six years. They have risen to the top of their respective fields in this relatively short span of time, by charting their own paths, transgressing from the norm and reflecting our realities — as well as entertaining us to the hilt.

Arati Ankalikar

A significant Hindustani vocalist of the younger generation, Arati Ankalikar received her training in Hindustani music from Pandit Vasantrao Kulkarni of Agra and Gwalior gharanas at the age of ten. This apart, she has also studied under the Jaipur gharana Kishori Amonkar and Pt Dinkar Kaikini of the Agra. All these styles blend in her singing which many including the queen of rap grandma Asha Bhosale have called “electric.”

“Gifted with a richly timbered, wide ranging voice, Arati Ankalikar is seen as an outstanding exponent of khayal singing. Her resonant voice; her  pleasant personality and compelling stage presence make her recitals an absorbing audio-visual experience,” says well-known music connoisseur Shashi Vyas who runs Pancham Nishad an organisation devoted to conserving musical heritage.

She is wowing audiences with glimpses of her virtuosity with compositions like Shridhar Phadke’s Mi Radhika and more recently Ta Na Ri Ri with fellow vocalist Devki Pandit. While her songs in the Marathi musical Savlee (about professional rivalry between a classical singer mother-daughter duo) brought her acclaim, it was her lavni ugavli shukrachi chandani in thumri style made her a household name. Acclaim hasn’t changed this middle-class woman from the Maharashtra-Karnataka border as she divides her time between being a full time mother and as a big name on the Marathi small screen.

This other passion for this Nana Chowk resident of Mumbai who now lives in Pune is food which by her own admission she takes, “as seriously as her music.”

Buy Arati Ankalikar’s album Anjali at http://bit.ly/q7vCgA