Lalitha Sivakumar is the daughter of Palghat Mani Iyer. She learnt Carnatic music from her mother-in-law, D. K. Pattammal, and is known for vocally accompanying her in concerts.[1] Lalitha Sivakumar is also prominently known as Nithyashree Mahadevan's mother and guru.[2]
At the age of 18, Lalitha Sivakumar was married to I. Sivakumar, D. K. Pattammal's son. The day after the wedding, she received Carnatic music lessons from D. K. Pattammal.[1] Shortly thereafter, both as a solo performer and as a musician accompanying D. K. Pattammal, she received praise from several other prominent vocalists including D. K. Jayaraman, K. V. Narayanaswamy and M. S. Subbulakshmi. However, her career as a solo performer was brief as Lalitha Sivakumar focussed on teaching her disciples.[1] Lalitha Sivakumar's disciples include Nithyasree Mahadevan (her daughter), Lavanya Sundararaman (her granddaughter),[1] Maharajapuram Srinivasan, Niranjana Srinivasan,[3] Pallavi Prasanna,[4] and others.[5]