The second Hindu classical singer to get the Cultural Medallion, Ghanavenothan Retnam has advocated for Indian classical music for over 40 times. A grasp of the Indian classical trumpet, the bansuri, he spearheaded the formation of Singapore’s second Carnatic clarinet outfit in 2019.
His job as a music producer at Bhaskar’s Arts Academy has even earned him worldwide admiration. He combined Indian classical and Indonesian music practices in his structure for Vinyaka, a party manufacturing that premiered at the Bali Arts Festival in 2010. He also collaborated with distinguished South Asian artists to mix Hindu classical and folk tunes, Javanese, Balinese and Kelantan songs together for the 2023 dance-drama Radin Mas.