Nina Rao is a resident of New Paltz and lover of the Rail Trail Cafe! She learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. In 1998 she met her guru, Sri Siddhi Ma in the foothills of the Himalayas and spent time with her regularly for 19 years. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and accompanies him musically as well. In addition to her own two albums Antarayaami and Anubhav, she appears on many other chant albums as a guest percussionist and singer. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in New York and beyond, and leads workshops and courses online across many platforms. She is also founder and chairwoman of the non-profit Saving Wild Tigers which supports conservation of wild tigers and all species in their natural habitat in India. In addition, she hosts a podcast series on the Be Here Now Network exploring spirituality, practice, and conservation of wilderness and Nature.  For more information visit NinaRaoChant.com.