Indra Nooyi’s sister wins her first Grammy at 71: All about Chandrika Tandon

Indian-American vocalist and entrepreneur Chandrika Tandon has won a Grammy award in the ‘Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album’ category for her album Triveni. This is the first Grammy for Chandrika, 71, who beat competitors like Ricky Kej and Anoushka Shankar to take home the gramophone.

For Chandrika Tandon, a prestigious Grammy award is just another addition to her long list of accomplishments. She is also a businesswoman, philanthropist, and the first Indian-American woman to be elected partner at McKinsey and Company. In certain circles, however, she is best known as the elder sister of former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.

Who is Chandrika Tandon?

Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon is an Indian-American businesswoman, philanthropist, and Grammy-winning musician.

She was born in 1954 in Madras (now Chennai), India, into a conservative Tamil Brahmin family. She was the eldest of three siblings, with a younger brother and sister, Indra Nooyi, who later became the CEO of PepsiCo.

Chandrika pursued higher education at Madras Christian College and later at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

She began her professional career at Citibank in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War and subsequently joined McKinsey & Company in New York City, becoming the first Indian-American woman to be elected partner at the firm.

In 1992, she founded Tandon Capital Associates, focusing on financial and operational restructuring for global clients.

In 2015, Chandrika and her husband, Ranjan Tandon, donated $100 million to the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, leading to its renaming as the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

She has served as a trustee for New York University, NYU Langone Health, and the American India Foundation, among others.

On winning a Grammy

Chandrika Tandon won the Grammy for the album 'Triveni' in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category at the 67th Grammy Awards.

She shared the honour with her collaborators - South African flautist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto.

This was her second Grammy nomination after 2009's "Soul Call" and first win.

"Day 5 of @recordingacademy GRAMMYS week - honored to receive a GRAMMY for our collaborative album Triveni. A moment that reminds me that music is love, music ignites the light within all of us, and, even in our darkest days, music spreads joy and laughter. Congratulations to all the other nominees in our category. Thank you for the music, and thank you for each and everyone that creates and supports the music; may all our lives be enveloped in Love Light Laughter," Tandon wrote on Instagram after her win.

As a musician, Chandrika Tandon has been trained in Hindustani, Carnatic, and Western traditions.