Karan Khosla is an Indian jazz guitar musician, educator, and aspiring entrepreneur known for his contributions to the jazz scene in India and his work in systems thinking and dynamics.
Early Life and Education
Karan Khosla was born to Ashok and Rekha Khosla in 1983 in New Delhi. Ashok Khosla is the Chairman of the Indian not-for-profit, Development Alternatives Group and was previously the Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Rekha Khosla served with the Government of India. Karan's early education was at The Shri Ram School in New Delhi. He then attended Cumnor House School in England, followed by Springdales School back in New Delhi. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School on a full academic scholarship in the United States and went on to study physics and applied mathematics as an undergraduate at Boston University, where he also minored in music.
Career in Impact Investment and Consulting
Before transitioning to a career in music, Karan Khosla had a successful career in impact investment and management consulting. He served as the Director of Operations for both the South Asia Foundation and TARAhaat Information and Marketing Services Ltd.. Karan was a member of the Board of Directors for the Balaton Group, a European think-tank on sustainability, and ran his own consulting firm, EarthSafe Enterprises, which specialized in consulting on system dynamics, modeling, and strategy for governments and private companies.
Contributions to System Dynamics
Karan has published several notable papers in systems thinking and system dynamics, including:
"Raising the Quality of Human Life: A Least Cost Route to Reducing Population Growth" – Co-authored with Ashok Khosla, this paper explores the use of system dynamics in addressing global population and resource balance issues (University at Albany Archives)[1] .
"Strategy Dynamics of a Social Enterprise in India" – This paper examines the impact of system dynamics on strategy formulation in social enterprises, presented at the System Dynamics Society conference (University at Albany Archives)[2] .
"System Dynamics Modelling for Forest Fuelwood Management in India" – A study using system dynamics for managing forest fuelwood in India (University at Albany Archives)[3] .
Musical Career
Karan began his professional music career in his early thirties, having studied under American jazz guitar luminaries Matt Warnock and Jonathan Kreisberg. He established himself as a session guitarist, composer, and educator [4], performing across India with top artists like Bollyjazz, Lucia, and international musicians such as Ben Van den Dungen and Amber Kuti Smith. Karan has performed at prestigious festivals such as the Jazz India Circuit [5], Serendipity Arts Festival, and UNESCO International Jazz Day 2023 . He co-wrote and played guitar on the alternative rock album "Constitution of Love" by New Delhi Rockers' The Limited Experience.
Goa Jazz Academy
In 2018, Karan co-founded the Goa Jazz Academy with his wife, Divya Gupta. The academy has emerged as one of the leading music schools in the South Asian subcontinent, with over 200 students. It focuses on accessible music education [6] and fosters a performance-oriented learning environment . The academy has hosted over 50 events, including student recitals, jam sessions, and performances [7] by local and international jazz artists [8].
Personal Life
Karan is married to Divya Gupta, and they have a son named Feroz. Divya plays an integral role in managing the Goa Jazz Academy, furthering its mission to promote jazz and support the arts community in India .
References
↑ "Khosla, Karan, ""Strategy Dynamics of a Social Enterprise in India" – Impacts of System Dynamics on conventional strategy formulation", 2012 July 22-2012 July 26 - M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives". archives.albany.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ "Khosla, Karan, ""Strategy Dynamics of a Social Enterprise in India" – Impacts of System Dynamics on conventional strategy formulation", 2012 July 22-2012 July 26 - M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives". archives.albany.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ "Khosla, Karan, ""Strategy Dynamics of a Social Enterprise in India" – Impacts of System Dynamics on conventional strategy formulation", 2012 July 22-2012 July 26 - M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives". archives.albany.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ "All that jazz!". oHeraldo. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ Singh, Ayesha (2018-02-18). "Karan Khosla Trio: Racing down the sound circuit". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ Ilavia, Perin (2022-11-21). "Jazzing up music education in Goa, the Goa Jazz Academy way". Goa News in English on Gomantak Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ Digital, G. T. (2023-04-25). "All that will matter is jazz at Goa's Aguada this Saturday". Goa News in English on Gomantak Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
↑ Digital, G. T. (2024-04-21). "Internationally acclaimed jazz artists to perform in Goa". Goa News in English on Gomantak Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
Jazz Guitar Player and Teacher India
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