Rahul Ram is an Indian bass guitarist, social activist and music composer. He plays bass guitar for musical band
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
, which he joined in 1991. He is also one of the three members of 'Aisi Taisi Democracy,' along with
Varun Grover (writer) and
Sanjay Rajoura.
Biography

Rahul was born into a south Indian family, the son of noted botanist late Professor
H.Y. Mohan Ram. He is a nephew of the late
H. Y. Sharada Prasad, who was best known as the media adviser to
Indira Gandhi.
Considering that he finally became a guitar player with a rock band, Rahul has some unexpected educational qualifications, earned at some of the top-ranking educational institutions in India and the USA. After schooling at
St. Xavier's School, Delhi
St. Xavier’s Senior Secondary School is a private Catholic primary and secondary school located in Raj Niwas Marg in the Civil Lines area of North Delhi, in India. Founded by the Jesuits in 1960 as a residential school for boys only, the scho ...
, he took a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in Chemistry at
St. Stephen's College, Delhi and followed this up with an
MSc
MSC may refer to:
Computers
* Message Sequence Chart
* Microelectronics Support Centre of UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
* MIDI Show Control
* MSC Malaysia (formerly known as Multimedia Super Corridor)
* USB mass storage device class (USB MSC ...
degree in Chemistry from
IIT Kanpur
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Hindi: भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान कानपुर) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It wa ...
. Next, he took a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
degree (1986–90) in Environmental Toxicology from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...
, which he attended on an
Andrew White scholarship. His doctoral research on environmental toxicology is what moved him to become an activist with the
Narmada Bachao Andolan
''Narmada Bachao Andolan'' (NBA) is an Indian social movement spearheaded by native tribals (''adivasis''), farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against a number of large dam projects across the Narmada River, which flows thro ...
(1990–95). His stint with that activist group consumed five years of his life immediately after he took his doctorate from Cornell.
Concurrently with his Narmada activism, Rahul had joined the Indian Ocean band in 1991, soon after returning to India with his doctorate. Later, he went to America to learn to play the
Alto saxophone, which he intends to bring to the band's music. Inside his group, he is known as Logic Baba because of his rationality. He has composed music and done playback singing in
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
. Rahul, along with
Indian Ocean member Asheem Chakrabarty, sung the song 'Yaara Maula' in an
Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France aw ...
film
Gulaal, a Hindi movie based on student politics. Rahul also created tribute videos for independent artists for ThankYouForMusic an event by Songdew.
Discography
Rahul Ram's band Indian Ocean has also given music for the following films:
#SWARAJ—The Little Republic (2002)
#
Black Friday (2004)
#
Hulla (2008)
#Live in Concert (DVD) (2008)
#Beware Dogs(2008)
#Bhoomi (2009)
#
Yeh Mera India (2009)
#
Gulaal (2009)
#
Mumbai Cutting (2009)
#
Leaving Home – The Life and Music of Indian Ocean (2010)
#
Peepli Live
''Peepli Live'' is a 2010 Indian satirical black comedy film that explores the topic of farmer suicides and the subsequent media and political response. It is written and directed by Anusha Rizvi in her directorial debut, and produced by Aamir ...
(2010)
#
Satyagraha
Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone ...
(2013)
#
Katiyabaaz (Powerless, 2014), a documentary film
#
Masaan (2015)
#
Gulabo Sitabo (2020)
In 2015, Indian Ocean composed the music for critically acclaimed
Masaan (2015), in which Rahul Ram collaborated with writer
Varun Grover and
Swanand Kirkire
Swanand Kirkire (Marathi: स्वानंद किरकिरे) (born 29 April 1972) is an Indian lyricist, playback singer, writer, assistant director, actor and dialogue writer, both in television with Marathi and Hindi films.
Kirkire w ...
for two songs and an original composition Bhor. Rahul toured with Being Indian original series 'Aisi Taisi Democracy,' the coming together of three prolific talents - stand-up comedian and social-satirist
Sanjay Rajoura, stand-up comedian, writer and lyricist
Varun Grover (writer) joined him.
Rahul also acted in
A. R. Rahman's multi-lingual musical film ''
99 Songs''.
References
External links
Rahul Ram's Interview by Outlook India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Rahul
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Indian bass guitarists
Indian male composers
St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni
IIT Kanpur alumni
Indian rock musicians
Cornell University alumni
Male bass guitarists
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema