Geetha Raja is a respected, well-known, accomplished Carnatic vocalist and a successful guru much sought after by young music aspirants. She has a knack for moulding musically talented youngsters into prize-winning performers.

It was a usual Sunday evening on 12 June 2022, and the road to the venue, Ragasudha Hall near Nageswara Rao Park, Mylapore was filled with cars. The hall was packed with art patrons, musicians, rasikas and music students.

Even before her first formal lesson, a varnam, the young girl had already picked up the corpus of songs that the entire household knew by heart, like Santi nilava vendum, Eppadi paadinaro, Mamava Pattabhirama. The omnipresent melodies flowed into her utterly unconsciously.

Samuditha Foundation, founded by Carnatic vocalist Saketharaman, with its motto ‘Carnatic music for all’, has found a novel way to meet its objective. Kala Shiksha, the online music school run by the vocalist, provides innovative musical education to urban, suburban and rural children across the country through collaborations with seasoned teachers, who inspire and teach over 250 students, irrespective of caste or religion.