Padmashri Avasarala Kanyakumari is one of the leading

violinists The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * ...

from

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

who specializes in

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

. She is the first woman violinist to receive the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award. Kanyakumari’s violin playing is admired for many qualities but most pronouncedly for its exceptional quality of vocalism, innovation and fearlessness.

Career

Kanyakumari is a native of Vizianagaram,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and has lived in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

for more than five decades. Her parents, Avasarala Ramarathnam and Smt. Jayalakshmi encouraged her to pursue music. She is a disciple of 3 great legendary gurus: Ivaturi Vijeswara Rao, M. Chandrasekaran and M. L. Vasanthakumari. She is renowned for her 'vocalising the violin' (gayaki style). She was mentioned in the congressional record of the US on August 6, 2021, for her selfless services teaching Carnatic Violin lessons free of cost to everyone as a way of paying it forward and honouring the contributions made by her teachers to developing her talents. She also often performs at

SPIC MACAY The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, abbreviated as SPIC MACAY, is a voluntary youth movement which promotes intangible aspects of Indian cultural heritage by promoting Indian classical music, clas ...

Concerts throughout India. She has trained over 150 students and emphasises that students master the lyrics or sahityam too. She is the first female violinist to create

ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

. Many of her beautiful renditions of classical Carnatic ragas and her own compositions can be found throughout Spotify and YouTube. She also has a website with videos teaching how to play violin in the Carnatic style for students to learn.

Awards and Honours

A Kanyakumari was awarded the

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sangita Kalanidhi () is the title awarded annually to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy. From 1929 to 1941, the award did not exist. The award was conceived in 1942 by Academy President K. V. Krishnaswami Iyer and on 1 January 1 ...

award of the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

for the year 2016. She is the first female violinist to get the award. Other awards include *''

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

'' by Government of India (2015) *Sangita Kalanidhi from the Music Academy, Chennai (2016) *''Kalaimamani'' from Govt. of Tamil Nadu *''Ugadi Puraskar'' from Govt. of Andhra Pradesh *''Top Rank'' by A.I.R *''Honorary citizenship'' of the state of Maryland, U.S *''TTK Award'' from the Music Academy, Chennai *Asthana Vidhwan of TTD on honorarium for the period of five years, from 15 June, 2013. *''Asthana Vidushi'' of Sringeri Sarada Peetam, Ahobila Mutt and Avadhoota Peetam *''"Saptagiri sangeetha vidwanmani'' from Sri Tyagaraja Festival Committee of Tirupathi. *''Dhanurveena Praveena'', a title bestowed on her by

M.S. Subbulakshmi Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour and also the first Indian musici ...

, commemorating Kanyakumari's 25 years in concerts *''Sangeeta Kala Nipuna'', from the Mylapore Fine Arts Club, 2002 Awardees at Madras music mela 2002
/ref> *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

, 2003 * Sangeetha Chudamani Award from Krishna Gana Sabha, 2012 She was selected for Limca Book of Records 2004 for her various achievements in music as a versatile woman violinist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanyakumari, A. Indian violinists Indian women violinists Carnatic violinists Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Musicians from Tamil Nadu People from Vizianagaram 21st-century Indian violinists Year of birth missing (living people)