Mani Krishnaswami, (also written as Mani Krishnaswamy, 3 February 1930 – 12 July 2002) was a

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 ...

vocalist of

Tamil Nadu, India Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Family

Her birth name was ''Mani Perundevi''. Her father, ''Lakshmi Narasimhachari'', was the secretary of ''Vellore Sangeetha Sabha''. When Mani was six years of age, her mother ''Maragathavalli'' taught her to play ''violin''. Mani's husband ''Krishnaswamy'' is an active arts promoter.Mani Krishnaswamy passes away
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Training in Carnatic music

Krishnaswami's first mentor in Carnatic music was a family musician friend named ''Gopaalachaari''. Krishnaswami learned more than 500 songs while still a child. After completing secondary education, she enrolled for the ''Sangeeta Siromani'' course in

Kalakshetra Kalakshetra Foundation, formerly simply Kalakshetra, is an arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. Based in ...

at Adayar,

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 ...

. At ''Kalakshetra'' she came under the influence of doyens like

Rukmini Devi Arundale Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri; 29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986)Sharma, Shoba and Gangadean, Ashok (January 31, 2004 Naatya.org. Retrieved on 10 December 2018. was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian cl ...

, Tiger Varadachariar and

Papanasam Sivan Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema a ...

. She has the distinction of learning Carnatic music from five giants in the field, who were also recipients of the coveted

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. They are:

Mysore Vasudevachar Mysore Vasudevacharya (28 May 1865 – 17 May 1961) was an Indian musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telu ...

Budaloor Krishnamurthy Shastri Budaloor Krishnamurti Shastri (1894–1978) was an Indian gottuvadhyam player. Early life Shastri was born in Andanallur in South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan P ...

Musiri Subramania Iyer Musiri Subramanian Iyer (9 April 1899 – 25 March 1975) was a Carnatic vocalist whose stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teach ...

, Tiger Varadachariar and

. Mani followed the ''Musiri tradition''. She was a key figure in popularizing the works of

Musical journey

Krishnaswami was chosen by the government of India, and she performed music concerts in the Festival of India held in the then

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(1989) and in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(1991). She has rendered numerous music concerts both within India and in many other countries. She was a visiting faculty at San Francisco University for a short period. Krishnaswami was the ''Asthaana Vidhwan'' at

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent government trust in India managed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The trust primarily oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious center Venkatesw ...

. She rendered Desikar's ''Achuta Satakam'' in the ancient ''Prakrit'' language and set it to music. A well-known music critic, Subbudu, commended her voice as golden and mellifluous.Mani Krishnaswami
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Awards

Sangeetha Choodamani Sangeetha Choodamani () is an award bestowed on selected carnatic musicians by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (India) every year. The Sabha conducts a music festival called '' Gokulashtami Sangeetha Utsavam'' for 60 days during August - October ...

, 1979 by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha *

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

, 1991 by Tamil Nadu State Government *

, 1992 by

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 ...

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 ...

, 1987 by

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

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 ...

, 2002 Padma Shri Awards (2000–09)

Death

Krishnaswami died on Friday, July 12, 2002, at the age of 72 due to

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

References

External links

Shrimati Mani Krishnaswami profile
*
Mani Krishnaswami songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishnaswami, Mani 1930 births 2002 deaths Women Carnatic singers Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients 20th-century Indian singers Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 20th-century Indian women singers Carnatic singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award