Suguna Purushothaman (1941–25 February 2015) was an Indian

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

vocalist, composer and teacher. She was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: 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 recognit ...

for Carnatic music vocals in 2010. Suguna was born in Ponvilainthakalathur in

Chengalpattu Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...

(now in

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 languag ...

) in 1941. In the 1960s, she received a

Central Government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or del ...

scholarship and trained under

Musiri Subramania Iyer Musiri Subramania 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 teache ...

, alongside students Mani Krishnasamy, Suguna Varadhachari, Padma Narayanasamy and Rukmini Ramani. She received special training under the illustrious

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Semmangudi Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer (25 July 1908 – 31 October 2003) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He was the youngest recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947, a distinction he holds to this day ...

. She also learnt ''layam'' from the

mridangist The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...

Thinniyam Venkatrama Iyer, who also introduced her to Musiri. Under the guidance of Shri Thinniyam Venkatrama Iyer, Suguna was inspired to compose and perform difficult

Pallavi A pallavi has multiple connotations in carnatic music. It is the first part of any formal composition (Krithi) which has three segments - Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam (which can be one or more). Pallavi is usually also an abbreviation of R ...

s taking precocious interest in in rare talams. Her layam training also enthused her to master the "Dwi Tala Avadhana" maintaining two talams of different simultaneously in two hands while singing that match both these talams. For her mastery in this format she was known popularly as "Pallavi Suguna". Her contribution in reviving the practice of singing in talams like the "Sarabanandanam" and "Simhanandanam" and the Dwitala brought her wide acclaim. Suguna trained several noted Carnatic musicians including K. Gayathri, and Srinidhi Chidambaram. Suguna died aged 74 in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

, Tamil Nadu on 25 February 2015 following a long battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. According to Rajeswari Thyagarajan, a family friend and wife of Thyagarajan, the grandson of Musiri Subramania Iyer, "She wanted to listen to something in the hospital. I had, on my mobile phone, Musiri Subramania Iyer’s ''Nadupai in Madhyamavathi'' and ''Marivere in Shanmugapriya'' and her daughter played the songs for her. She opened her eyes for a second, and the end came." Her funeral was held the following day in Mandavelipakkam, and her last rites were performed at the

crematorium A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also ...

Besant Nagar Besant Nagar is an upscale, exclusive residential neighbourhood in South Chennai, India. It is located along the coast of Bay of Bengal. The neighbourhood is inhabited by highly affluent population and is dotted with many upmarket restaurant ...

. She was survived by her husband and two daughters. One of her daughters, Kumudha, is also a Carnatic musician. Writer Lalitharam paid tribute to Suguma stating, "Suguna had a great flair for ''layam'' and could use her hands to keep two different '' thalams'' even as she sang. An expert in ''

pallavi A pallavi has multiple connotations in carnatic music. It is the first part of any formal composition (Krithi) which has three segments - Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam (which can be one or more). Pallavi is usually also an abbreviation of R ...

'' singing, she could even render ''simma nanthana pallavi'' (128 counts) in a way that appealed to a lay '' rasika''."

Awards

Sangeetha Choodamani Sangeetha Choodamani ( ta, சங்கீத சூடாமணி) 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 U ...

(2004) *

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 o ...

, (2006) * Vakkeyakkarar Award, (2006) from 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 Carnatic vocal music (2010) * Vellore Gopalachariar Award (2012)

Awards

References

Further reading