Kodumudi Balambal Sundarambal (1908–1980) was an Indian actress and singer from Erode district,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. She performed in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

and was referred to as the "Queen of the Indian stage."Photo description in Hindu Images
A political activist during the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, K.B. Sundarambal was the first film personality to enter a state legislature in India.

Early years

K.B. Sundarambal was born on 10 October 1908 in the town of Kodumudi on the banks of Kaveri river, in Erode district in Tamil Nadu. As a child, she made money by singing on trains and receiving tips.

Acting career

According to some sources, it was while singing thus on a train for alms that the 19-year-old Sundarambal attracted the attention of

F. G. Natesa Iyer F. G. Natesa Iyer (11 November 1880 – 23 January 1963) was an Indian activist in the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement. He was also one of the pioneers of modern Tamil drama and Tamil cinema. He was a talent s ...

, an amateur stage actor, producer and talent-scout. According to other sources, it was a police official named Krishnaswamy Iyer, an acquaintance of Balambal, who discovered the talent in Sundarambal and introduced the 19-year-old girl to P. S. Velu Nair, one of the reigning dramatists of that era. In either case, Sundarambal is believed to have made her debut in 1927, on the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

stage, as a member of a travelling theatre troupe. She honed her voice while performing small roles on stage and keeping audiences entertained between acts. Soon enough, she was playing leading roles on stage. Her early stage plays like ''"Valli Thirumanam," "Pavalakodi"'' and ''"Harishchandra"'' proved to be great hits. In particular, ''"Valli Thirumanam"'', where she co-starred with S.G. Kittappa, was a phenomenal success.

Personal life

While working together in the theatre, Sundarambal met S. G. Kittappa. They were married in 1927. The couple, together became popular. S. G. Kittappa died in 1933. Sundarambal left the stage after his death, to pursue a career as a concert artiste. K.B. Sundarambal died in September 1980.

Filmography

Sundarambal acted in films as well with notable appearances in ''Manimekhalai'', '' Auvaiyar'', ''

Thiruvilayadal ''Thiruvilaiyadal'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language Hindu devotional film written, directed and co-produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Savitri, and K. B. Sundarambal, with T. S. Balaiah, R. Muthuraman, Nagesh, T. R. ...

'', '' Karaikal Ammaiyar'' and '' Kandan Karunai''. She portrayed Tamil poet Avvaiyar in films ''

'' and '' Kandan Karunai''. She also acted in social films such as '' Uyir Mel Aasai'', '' Thunaivan'' and ''Gnayiru Thinggal''. ''Gnayiru Thinggal'' was an unreleased film. She sang in movies as well. She worked under music directors Mayavaram Venu, M. D. Parthasarathy, Parur S. Anantharaman, R. Sudharsanam, K. V. Mahadevan, S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, T. K. Ramamoorthy, M. S. Viswanathan and

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (2 March 1935 – 8 September 2008) was an Indian classical music violinist and music composer. Early life Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was born on 2 March 1935 and was trained by his father, Ramaswamy Sastry. He was the brother ...

Political activism

Sundarambal and her husband S.G. Kittappa had been much influenced by the

and they became ardent supporters of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

. They had harnessed their popularity and talents to further that cause. Sundarambal continued to champion the movement, recording several gramophone discs extolling the struggle and sacrifices it entailed. She also made it a point to always wear

khadi Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...

. She often actively campaigned in support of Congress party candidates at various elections.from The Hindu, 4 February 2001
– "During the district board election at

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tam ...

in 1934, where the strength of the Justice Party was unquestionable and unshakeable, Kodhainayaki, with 12 other women among whom was the popular K. B. Sundarambal, took upon herself to storm the Justice Party bastion with her mesmerising oration." After India gained independence, K.B. Sundarambal entered the Legislative Council of

Madras State Madras State was a state of India during the mid-20th century. At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu (except Kanyakumari district), Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North and ...

in 1951 as a Congress nominee, thus becoming the first film artist to enter an Indian legislature. Her mentor C.Satyamurthy was prisoned by the British for participating in Quit India Movement in 1942.

Honours

In 1964, the Tamil Isai Sangam conferred upon her the title of ''"Tamil Isai Perarignar (Most Learned in Tamil Music)."'' In 1970, the

government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

awarded her the

Padmashri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred ...

for her contributions to the arts. She was awarded with the

National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from soundtracks within the Indian film industr ...

by the Government of India, for her work in Thunaivan. She also won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback for Thunaivan in 1969. She was also the first person in the Indian film industry to command a salary of one lakh rupees. She became the first lady member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Footnotes and references

External links

*
Review of a biography on K.B.SundarambalIndian government website on PadmashriTwo awards in 1969From the Hindu newspaper
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sundarambal, Kodumadi Balambal 1908 births 1980 deaths Indian stage actresses Indian women playback singers Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts People from Erode district 20th-century Indian actresses 20th-century Indian singers Singers from Tamil Nadu Actresses from Tamil Nadu Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian film actresses 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Women in Tamil Nadu politics 20th-century Indian women singers Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award winners Women musicians from Tamil Nadu