Basketball’s Rising Star

It has been an exciting few weeks! Maryland college ballplayer Varun Ram was gracious enough to give me a little under an hour of his time around The Big Dance this year, and consequently India Abroad featured the profile I wrote about his career on their issue cover this week! I loved this assignment, because Varun Ram and his parents were so wonderful to get to know and work with. Varun was quick with his responses to me and eager to help with the interview process where possible. The whole time, the parents went out of their way to answer my questions and provide detailed, frank stories about their lives and their outlook on bringing up a son who excelled in an unconventional Indian-American hobby-turned-career. It was heartwarming to hear how supportive they were of Varun’s exceptional talents and drive. It’s clear that Varun’s going to do even more great things, and I’m glad to get to know him.

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It was the thick of March Madness—the infectiously absorbing NCAA college basketball tournament held annually this time of year—when the Maryland Terrapins faced the Valparaiso Crusaders in the Midwest Region matchup on March 20.

With Maryland clinging to a three–point lead with 13 seconds left to go, Terrapins’ coach Mark Turgeon put point guard Varun Ram in the game.

It was the 22-year-old senior’s first 13 seconds ever in a March Madness tournament. They became 13 seconds to remember. As the clock ticked down, Valparaiso’s Keith Carter attempted a three-pointer to tie the game, but defender Ram applied pressure and made sure to get his hand on the ball. Ultimately, the ball flew nonthreateningly upwards and landed in the clutches of one of Ram’s teammates as time expired, giving Maryland the nail-biting 65-62 win—and Ram the game-winning steal.

His symphony

Back when Boston was being buried in record amounts of snow a few weeks back and we were all suffering from cabin fever in these parts, I had the privilege to chat with somebody who was in a comparatively much warmer climate down south about his amazing craft! Nashville Symphony Orchestra Grammy-nominated composer Vinay Parameswaran was gracious enough to talk to me about the art of composing, what it’s like to work at the gorgeous Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and what he does to be one of the best in the industry. I loved talking to Vinay because he was great about explaining his methods, and it gave me a chance to learn something about a field I had very little knowledge in up until that point. To read the article on the India Abroad platform, click here.

When he was 25, Vinay Parameswaran conducted a Western classical musical performance that was nominated for a 2015 Grammy in the Contemporary Classical Composition category. However, he’ll be the first to wave off much kudos for it.

“It was really Anna’s piece,” Maestro Parameswaran, now 27, said, referring to the concerto’s composer, Anna Clyne. “We were lucky just to be a part of the recording; I was so grateful and so humbled.”

The 14–minute composition, Prince of Clouds, is what is called a double–violin concerto. It’s a musical medium that was used by many Baroque era musicians—Johann Sebastian Bach famously being one of them—that enables two solo violins to converse with each other, accompanied by an orchestra.

Why I love my job …

I’m working on a story on Varun Ram, a 22-year-old Division I basketball player who plays for the Terps and had a big play in this year’s March Madness tournament. In the process, I got in touch with his parents to learn about what his childhood and upbringing were like.

In response to my thanking Varun’s dad for taking the time to thoughtfully respond to my questions, I got this nice email:

The best part is that Mr. Ramasamy didn’t have to send that email. He just did. It makes my day when people reach out and spread the love! It’s one more reason why I feel like I have the best job in the world.