| Raghavendran Rajasekaran | |
| Alias: | Ragha |
| Birth Date: | 1988 5, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Singapore |
| Origin: | India |
| Instrument: | Indian flute, bansuri, guitar |
| Genre: | Carnatic, jazz, pop |
| Occupation: | Flautist |
| Years Active: | 2006–present |
| Label: | TisraRoopaSangeeth, Tigaia, Gammarays – Gamelan |
Raghavendran Rajasekaran (Tamil: ராகவேந்திரன் ராஜசேகரன் Devanagari Script: राघवेन्द्रन् राजशेखरन्), popularly known as Ragha, is a classical flautist based in Singapore. Though trained in the traditional Indian baani, he is an avid western performer and experiments with different genres of music.
Ragha was born in Singapore on May 6, 1988, to Smt. Nalini Rajasekaran and Sri Rajasekaran. He has two siblings.
At the age of 11, Ragha started his musical journey with the classical Indian flute under the tutelage of Ghanavenothan Rethnam, who is his guru to date.[1] He also had special training from Trichy L. Saravanan and Pt. Ronu Majumdar, with a scholarship from the National Arts Council of Singapore. Ragha graduated in music from Lasalle College of Arts and Music, Singapore, with a major in jazz music trained under jazz virtuoso Tim O'Dwyer.[2] [3]
Ragha has given performances in art festivals held in Singapore's Signature Parade, the Chingay, Short and Sweet Festival, Pesta Raya, Kala Utsav, Fusion Beats, OCBC Theatre Festival, Heritage Festival, LoudFest, World Beats Festival, Mosaic, FlipSide Festival, Gilles Peterson's World Wide Festival, World Beats (Republic Poly), LoudFest as well as the internationally acclaimed St.Patrick's Day event and the World Folk Song Festival 2008 (Beijing) and Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival 2008 (Indonesia).
He has recorded and performed with Singapore's World Renowned percussion outfit Wicked Aura's Debut album (Louder than Light), Gammarays' Debut Album (On the Dance Floor), Johor Bahru's band Manmatha's Second Album, PaperCitizens' (Monster's in Silence) and RUDRA.
Some of his accomplishments are:
In July 2013, he was chosen as an inspirational youth of Singapore and an interview featuring him was telecast in Vasantham television in Paadangal program.[7]
Apart from being a musician, Ragha has served in the Singapore Police Force as Special Constable Sergeant during his National Service.[9]
He is a recognised flautist in Singapore and has accompanied[10] several musicians in recitals and concerts.
He also instructs several students in Singapore and Johor Bahru. He is a devout Hindu and has performed in several temple functions in Singapore and abroad.