The how-to guide for everything in the Ekta platform.
(Pronouns: He/him/his)
I was first exposed to the desi competitive circuits when I started as a freshman at the University of Texas at Dallas. There was only one team on campus at the time, and no competitions. I was in choir and had a knack for music, so with the help of some friends, started a South Asian A Cappella group called Dhunki and an A Cappella competition called Awaazein the following year. During my team at UT Dallas, I also helped start a Bollywood Fusion dance team called Sharara and helped out with a few other dance teams with various projects. After graduating from UT Dallas, I partnered up with a few alum of the South Asian A Cappella circuit and created the Association of South-Asian A Cappella (ASA) and started the first chamionship competition of the circuit: All-American Awaaz (A3), of which I was the director for two years. I also served as the Digital Media Chair for Bollywood America 2017, and as an advisor for Bollywood America 2019. I was the Director of ASA for 4 years (2016-2020), and now, I continue to serve as a senior advisor on the steering committee at ASA. For my day job (and sometimes night!), I am a physician and currently doing a cardiology fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist Health along with graduate school in Translational and Health System Science at Wake Forest University. I am passionate about the integration of artificial intellgience in cardiac medical device research and I enjoy spending my free time traveling and exploring the outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and learning new things!
(Pronouns: He/him/his)
I am a computer science PhD student and music enthusiast currently residing in Chicago, IL. I attended the University of Washington, Seattle, where I was a member of UW Awaaz and was musical director for the last 2 years. I joined the Association of South-Asian A Cappella (ASA) in 2018 and was a director from 2019 to 2021. I am one of the co-founders and CTO of Ekta and have been working on the platform since 2019. In my free time, I like to sing, learn the drums, play video games, and play tennis.
(Pronouns: He/him/his)
I first developed a passion for South Asian fusion music when I joined OSU Dhadkan at Ohio State University in 2016, which introduced me to the rapidly growing South Asian A Cappella genre. This passion led me to join the Association of South-Asian A Cappella (ASA) in 2020, where I served as Director of All-American Awaaz (A3) from 2021 to 2023. Following my time at A3, I took on the role of Chief Operating Officer at ASA from 2023 to 2024, helping streamline operations and improve collaboration across the organization. I currently work as an Operations Analyst at Allegiant Air, and I’m excited to bring my experience in process optimization and operational excellence to the Ekta team. In my free time, I enjoy playing cricket, coaching chess, traveling to new states and national parks, and always gaining new knowledge.
(Pronounds: He/him/his)
I’m currently a Senior Software Engineer at Adobe, based in San Jose, CA, where I lead the development of a centralized platform that streamlines product integrations on Adobe.com. I graduated from UC Irvine, where I was an active member of UCI Zamana and UCI Andaaz, competing in both the Desi Dance Network (DDN) and Association of South Asian A Cappella (ASA) circuits. My involvement in these communities was so fulfilling that in 2023, I joined ASA as the VP of Operations. In this role, I spearheaded several key initiatives, including the creation of a new scoring system, a streamlined audition submission/review process for ASA on Ekta, and the full digitization of competition scoring and feedback for judges. With my background in developing technical strategies and leading cross-functional projects, I’m eager to continue driving Ekta’s growth by introducing innovative features that elevate the experience for our circuits. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, playing billiards and table tennis, and continuously exploring new skills.