Sudha Ragunathan

Sudha Ragunathan
Sudha Ragunathan in Music Academy, Chennai
Born	(1957-04-30) April 30, 1957 Bangalore
Nationality	Indian
Citizenship	Indian
Education	PG in Economics
Alma mater	Ethiraj College for Women
Occupation	Singer, composer
Spouse(s)	Ragunathan (1982–present)
Children	Kaushik Malavika
Parent(s)	Venkatraman Choodamani
Awards	Padma Shri, Sangita Kalanidhi, Kalaimamani, Padma Bhushan
Musical career
Genres	indian classical, carnatic
Website	www.sudharagunathan.com

Sudha Ragunathan (born April 30, 1957) is a Carnatic vocalist and composer from India. She is a disciple of the legendary Padma Bhushan Dr.M.L.Vasanthakumari^[1]. Sudha is a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Sangitha Kalanidhi, Kalaimamani awards for her contribution in Carnatic music.She has travelled across the world participating in numerous global festivals, representing India and its pristine music.Sudha also has the unique honor of rendering ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi on 27th January 2000 to mark the completion of 50 years of the free Indian Republic.Her music echoed in the hall of United Nations on 2 October 2016, the International day of Non violence, 50 years after Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbulakshmi's music did in 1996^[2]. Having sung some very popular numbers in Tamil and Malayalam films, she is currently composing music for two Tamil films ^[3].

Early life and education

Sudha Ragunathan (nee Venkatraman) was born in a Tamil Brahmin family in Bangalore, Karnataka to Venkatraman and Choodamani . Later, her family moved to Chennai, Tamil Nadu.^[4] She did her schooling at Good Shepherd convent, Chennai. she completed her schooling with laurels, opted for the Science group and moved on to score 95 per cent in PUC from Ethiraj College. With such scores she aspired to be a gynaecologist. But the twist in this story happened in the form of advice from two of her teachers at Ethiraj College who emphatically counselled her, “It is not given to all to become a musician. You have it in you. Take a subject like Economics or History that will give you time to pursue music.” ^[5].So she continued doing masters in Economics from Ethiraj College, thinking that she would sit for civil services exam. ^[6]. Being such a vivacious, versatile and highly talented individual, it’s no surprise that Sudha won the award- Outstanding Student of Ethiraj College, for three years in succession- an achievement which for a long time remained unmatched. She was the Treasurer and later the Vice President of the Students Union and won the prestigious ‘Service to the College’ medal.^[7] Even as Sudha moved on to her post-graduation, her mother Choodamani noticed a distinct transition of her daughter’s focus from academics to music.

  She came! She sang! She conquered! That was the order of the day in the late 1970s when a young girl with sparkling eyes and a friendly smile, clad in a half-sari represented Ethiraj College, and won almost every inter-college classical music competition she had participated in. Her oratorical feats saw her through many debates too victoriously. Adjudged ‘The Most Outstanding Student' of her college for three consecutive years - a hat trick that remained unbeaten for years, her next playfield was the yearly music competitions held by various sabhas in Chennai and the outskirts, as a curtain raiser to the December music season. Here too the story was no different - Hindu Newspaper

Musical career

Training

Sudha Ragunathan received her initial training in Carnatic music from her mother V. Choodamani. Choodamani was a trained musician blessed with a strikingly beautiful voice. Circumstances stood in the way of her becoming a professional, but the tenacious lady moulded her unfulfilled aspirations into a dream that she dreamt for her second daughter, Sudha. Sudha was exposed to music as a child of 3 years. She used to play with the toys and hum along with them. She began to learn bhajans, Hindu devotional songs^[8].Venkatraman was a Bangalore-based publisher of law books. Though not an avid music lover, he was non-interfering by nature. Choodamani regularly took both her children to concerts, especially those of her favourite musician, M.L. Vasanthakumari. Sitting there, drawing patterns on the mud-floor, little Sudha would wonder wide-eyed, ‘How is she able to sing for this long! A few years later Choodamani gave birth to a baby boy. But the additional demands on her time in no way distracted her from her dream for Sudha. She chose this period to start nine-year-old Sudha on formal music lessons. Around the same time, the family moved to Chennai.’^[9].

Choodamani put Sudha under the tutelage of vidwan T.V. Viswanathan and later under vidwan B.V. Lakshman. With impressive perspicacity, she decided that participation in music competitions would benefit her daughter hugely. Choodamani was right in her decision. Sudha’s repertoire increased by leaps and bounds, as did her confidence. The decisive turn happened, however, with Sudha winning the Central Government Scholarship for music in 1977 to study music under a doyenne of Carnatic music, Dr. M.L Vasantha Kumari, whose student she remained for thirteen years.^[10] Interestingly, it was Venkatraman who facilitated the meeting with the doyenne. Sudha says, “Realising that I wasn’t in control of what was happening, I took a crucial decision - to make it big, irrespective of what I did.”

Trained under Dr. ML Vasanthakumari in the gurukula style, it involved considerable amounts of listening to the teacher and other practitioners to absorb their style and oeuvre. “I have no time for formal teaching. You have to be sharp and grasp whatever you can when I sing.” MLV was very matter of fact in her approach.Sudha just strummed the tambura in her Guru’s performances for a year, ^[1] before she graduated to being her second voice.^[4][10]She found the experience of sharing the stage with her teacher inestimable. MLV’s legendary flights of imagination as she explored ragas, her intellectually-stimulating swara matrices, her brilliant RTPs …Sudha had the privilege of being exposed to them all at close quarters.

Returning home, she would mull over MLV amma’s music, listen to her recordings, sit with the notations and go back the next day fully equipped for yet another enthralling session. In her own words,^[11]"A period of 13 years from 1977 to 1990, a phase of complete absorption and internalisation! There was no teaching in a formal atmosphere. We learnt while being with her during the kutcheris (concerts). We would record her singing in our minds and then replay it while learning the intricacies. It was a very challenging and different experience and as I had begun learning very early from her, my mind was like a sponge and absorbed whatever I heard".

 "I first met Sudha in 1976 at MLV Amma’s residence. She had come to learn vocal music from MLV through a scholarship. She sang Dharmavati that day and I could sense that Sudha had a bright future. It is challenging to play for, or sing along with a vocalist as great as MLV. You had to be very alert and extremely intelligent to grasp MLV’s creativity and spontaneity. And Sudha had it all – intelligence, grasping power, sincerity and a malleable voice as sweet as honey. You must listen to Sudha’s Tamil Eelam recording done years ago to believe this.I cannot recall now, but for some reason MLV Amma could not record for the CD." - Sangitha Kalanidhi A.Kanyakumari. [12]

During her musical interactions with MLV, Sudha would always be on tenterhooks, for MLV was not given to open praise.The first telling indication of her assessment of Sudha’s capabilities happened in the early 1980s after a concert of MLV in New York. The students of Stony Brook University, who had come for the concert, requested MLV that Sudha give a solo performance at their school. MLV not only graciously agreed but also spontaneously requested her accompanists Kanyakumari and Mannargudi Easwaran to join Sudha in the concert.

 Sudha often said “Music was only one of the few things she taught me. She taught me how to live life to its fullest.” Sudha, with a touch of nostalgia, vividly recalls how while singing an Ashtapathi in ragamalika, there would come a sangathi in Yaman Kalyani at a higher octave. Spontaneously, MLV would stop and allow Sudha to take over. “She was such a generous person on stage….in some sense it also reflected how she was in life as well.”

Performances and critical reception

From 1990, Sudha’s rise was phenomenal, and following her Guru’s demise, she has been considered as MLV’s vaarisu. Sudha has performed at the Madras Music Season, the most distinguished venue for Carnatic music, every year since 1990, when her teacher Vasanthakumari died.^[13] Sudha’s rise to prominence has not been an easy task.” Being a recognized musician requires tremendous amount of hard work. One good performance alone is not enough and there is a lot of practice one has to go through. It usually takes an artist around seven to ten years to become well known and the financial returns might be mediocre….one has to be determined enough to stick through it all.” Sudha carved a niche for herself in the Carnatic School of singing, thanks to her voice that packed 'swara' and 'shakti'. Her distinctly stunning vocal style and effortless singing made her the most sought after artiste for several prestigious concerts.

  Sudha has a golden touch in her voice which enthralls her listeners from all over the globe. There is tantalizing mystery behind that cherubic smile. Her deep relish for tradition and mystical old-world charm is supremely addictive.

As the brightest singing star on the horizon, her voice mesmerized 'rasikas' across the country and beyond the Indian shores.She is considered among the top rank of Carnatic performers.^[14] Being a top notch performer for over three decades, she draws large crowd wherever she goes.Sudha is one of the few Indians to have enthralled packed audiences at International Music Festivals and Concerts held in the U.S., Canada, UK , South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, The Middle East, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Belgium and Sri Lanka. Indeed, with the award in 2013 of the Sangita Kalanidhi of the Madras Music Academy, her importance as one of India's finest classical musicians has been firmly established.^[6] She recently was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor in January 2015.

Sudha is a top ranking artiste of the All India Radio and the Doordharshan, besides being the artiste in demand by leading recording companies like AVM, INRECO, VANI and AMUTHAM. With her crystal clear and almost divine voice, Sudha reached out to the discerning music lovers across the world, widening musical communications across the cultural borders.

  Today, Sudha Ragunathan is known for her beautiful vocal tapestries, soaring solos and unusual timbres. Her creative expression in Carnatic music has no par. And, her music is known to flow straight from the heart, dripping with classical divinity. Her authentic renditions of 'krithis' and refined elaborations of 'ragas', the elan with which she breezes through the 'kalpana swaras', her command over the octaves and her supremely confident stage presence combined with unstated humility has given her an enviable pre-eminence in the world of Carnatic music. Call it her 'Guru Dakshina' to her mentor, Dr.M.L.Vasantha Kumari.

In the world of voices, can you hear my song? "The enthralling, enchanting voice of Sudha and her entrancing harmonies have graced several 'kutcheries' and celebrations. She was the auspicious voice at the first live broadcast of the National Program Series of concerts hosted at Chennai.

Sudha also has the unique honor of rendering 'Vande Mataram' at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi on 27th January 2000 to mark the completion of 50 years of the free Indian Republic

First UN released stamp to honour India’s most celebrated carnatic music artist M S Subbulakshmi, was presented to Ms. Ragunathan to honour her performance at the UN.Oct 2016.^[15]

Concert performances

Festival Les Voix de Silvacane at Abbey Silvacane

She has performed globally and has collaborated with world ranking artistes from all over the world. Her noteworthy performances include the one at the United Nations,^[16] Théâtre de la Ville, Paris to name a few.^[17].Sudha also has the honor of having performed at the Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre, at New York Broadway to commemorate 50 years of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Sudha was also the first Indian vocal artiste to perform at the prestigious Sfinks Festival held at Antwerp in July 2002.This was the first time that Carnatic music was represented as a music form. Sudha has the exceptional honor of being the first Indian and only Asian to have performed at the International Festival – ECHTERNACH at Luxembourg. Sudha is the only Indian vocalist to have participated in the Global Vocal Meeting organized by the ‘BURGHOF’ an Academy of Music and Arts at Lorrach, Germany and produced by STIMMEN VOICES INTERNATIONAL VOCAL FESTIVAL. This group has toured some of the best halls in the USA -Cleveland, Tuscon in Arizona, Los Angeles and Chicago. ^[18]

Sudha was part of WOMADelaide, an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia twice in 2013 and 2016.

Other Music

She has performed as a playback singer in the Tamil cinema as well.^[19] She got her first break as playback singer under the genius musician Illayaraja in the movie 'Ivan'. The song,'Enna Enna Sethai' was a roaring success. Not surprising considering, her golden voice has enthralled so many classical listeners. She has sung many more films and the lilting number 'Anal Mele' is a favorite of all music lovers. Besides the Carnatic repertoire, Sudha Ragunathan has also explored the world music scene, in particular fusion music.^[20]

Teaching

Following other stalwarts of Carnatic music, Sudha Ragunathan in turn has also taught the tradition to her students.^[21] Sudha also plans to start her own 'Sangeetha Gurukulam' to provide vocal music training to continue the rich musical heritage that her Guru always believed in

Personal life

Sudha Ragunathan is married and has two children.

She is known for her charitable work, heading the Samudaaya Foundation that provides healthcare to the poor.^[4] The foundation has also raised funds for victims of the Gujarat earthquake and cyclone relief in Orissa.^[20]

Albums

Awards

• Padma Bhushan award in the field of Carnatic vocal music (2015).
• Sangita Kalanidhi from Madras Music Academy (2013).^[6]
• Padma Shri award in the field of Carnatic vocal music (2004).^[23]
• Sangeetha Choodamani, from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (1997).
• Kalaimamani award from the state government of Tamil Nadu, India (1993).
• Bharat Jyothi from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New York (1988).
• Sangeetha Kalasarathy from Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai, from His Holiness Shri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Mutt.
• Sangeeta Saraswathi from The Mahasannidanam of Sringeri.
• Gana kuyil from Valmiki Manram, Chennai.
• Isai Peroli and VST Award from Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai.
• Sangita Kokila from Tamil Sangam Navi Mumbai.

References

External links

• Sudha Ragunathan's Homepage