Homage to the Nightingales

On this day to celebrate women, we all unanimously decided that this is our way to wish all the amazing women out there A Very Happy Women’s Day. This Homage to the Nightingales was a great writing experience, as we enjoyed learning so much about them.

The world enriched with music, by people all around the world, irrespective of their gender, birth or stature, has given us some amazing musicians for us to celebrate. On this dedicated day for Women, we, at MUSIC MASTER, are trying to pay a small tribute to these iconic women in music, who are now singing among the stars. The singers listed below were hands-down the famous female nightingales of music that India has been providing the world with.

Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022)

We all know her as Lata Mangeshkar, Nightingale of India, or the Queen of Melody. She was also called “The nightingale”. When she was born, her parents Deenanath Mangeshkar (Konkani Classical Singer and Theatre artist) and Shevanti (a keen enthusiast of Gujarati folk songs), named her Hema Mangeshkar. The parents were the ones to change her name as well, to Lata, after one of the pivotal characters in her father’s play.

Lata Mangeshkar sang her first song “Naachu yaa gade” in 1942 for the movie Kiti Hassal. From the 1940s to the 2020s, her voice ruled the Indian Languages. Her voice brought about unity in South Asia. She has sung in 36 Indian Languages and also in a few other foreign languages. She was the Guinness World record holder for the most recordings and the record went on to her sister Asha Bhosle.

A few of the awards given to Lata Mangeshkar include three National Awards, 15 Bengal Film Journalist’s Association Awards, a lifetime achievement award from Film Fare, etc. Apart from being a singer, she was also a composer and producer.

Swarnalatha (1973-2010)

When we hear a song of Swarnalatha, we all pause a bit, get into the song, come out, and then carry on with our work. Her beautiful voice is the reason behind her title “Queen of Tones”. Born to K.C.Cherukutty and Kalyani, a harmonium player and a music enthusiast, it’s only normal for Swarnalatha to have had a career in music.

She started learning music from her Sister Saroja. She started singing at the age of 3, and her career spanned until she died in 2010. Her first song was for the composer M.S. Viswanathan, “Chinnanchirukiliye” from the movie Needhiku Dhandanai. 10 languages and was a recipient of one National Award, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and five Cinema Express Awards, and a Kalaimamani – these are a few of her accolades.

Her passing away was a shock to the whole of the music industry, beacuse she was one of the versatile singers, who can sing a classical song, a hindustani song, a western number without missing a beat. This is one of the main reasons for the question “why we miss Swarnalatha?”.

Bhavatharini (1976-2024)

Bhavatharini was the treasure of Ilayaraja’s family. Her death, which came a few weeks ago, was a shocker to the whole of India. From a family of male musicians, her father Ilayaraaja and her brothers Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja, her uncle Gangai Amaran, and her cousins Venkat Prabhu and Premgi, her voice was very unique and went on to get her awards and laurels including a National Award.

Swarnalatha started singing in the year 1984, and she has sung for all major South Indian languages and Hindi as well. She was also a composer and started her composing journey with the movie “Mitr, My Friend” directed by actress Revathi, her first directorial debut.

Swarnalatha received her National Award for the song “Mayil Pola Ponnu Onnu”, which she sang in her Father’s composition, for the film Bharathi. She composed under the name Raja Bhavatharini for the movie “Maayanadhi” as a tribute to her father.

Vani Jayaram (1945 – 2023)

Listen to Vani Jayaram’s voice, and you will know the why she was called the “Meera of Modern India”. A sense of longing, a sense of pure bhakti, a sense of truly loving – all these make her voice a magical one. She is to date an inspiration to many of the upcoming singers out there, as she stayed strong and ruled the music world, for more than five decades. Vani Jayaram’s parents Duraiswamy Iyer and Padmavathi were also musicians.

Her ability to hit the higher notes and nail the lower notes, made her an aspiration for so many upcoming singers. Her song list spans over 20 languages and she started singing in the year 1969, for the Hindi movie Meera, composed by Pt. Ravi Shankar. She then started singing in other languages as well. Her first song in Tamil was “Oar Idam Unnidam”, from the movie Veetuku Vandha Marumagal.

Her name became a must in most of Shankar Ganesh’s works, and they made it a point to give her a lot of songs. When a Shankar Ganesh film releases, people looked for Vani Amma’s song, as the industry called her.

A Padma Bhushan in 2023, recipient of three National Awards, three Film fare awards, and four state awards from four states – Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh – Vani Jayaram indeed had an amazing career.

M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004)

Bharat Ratna was awarded to Madurai Shanmugavadivu Subbulakshmi, making her the first musician to be awarded by the Indian Government, in that award category. She had a very pious and humble formative years, Her parents were Subramaniya Aiyer and Shanmukha, with the former being a Veena artist.

M.S.Subbulakshni has had formal training in both Carnatic and Hindustani, under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Pandit Narayanarao Vyas respectively.

Her growing up was in a place where learning music was another daily habit. It was a part of her life as she grew up. M.S.Subbulakshmi had her first recording at the age of 10 and gave her first public performance in the year 1927, at the age of 11. She performed at Music Academy at the age of 13, and for any musician, to date, performing there is a huge feather in their hats.

Subbulakshmi was even India’s Cultural Ambassador. She has had the honor of performing in the UN Assembly. She has also acted in a few films. A Padma Bhushan, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and Padma Vibhushan are in her award collection, along with the Bharat Ratna.

K.B.Sundarambal (1908-1980)

Kodumbudi Balambal Sundarambal, known as K.B. Sundarambal, was a warehouse of talent. She is one of the few singers, who used her own singing voice when she acted in a few iconic movies such as Mahakavi Kalidas, Thiruvilayaadal, Kandan Karunai, etc. Her role as Avvaiyar in the movie “Avvaiyar” gave her the identity of being a pious and gentle soul, which she was also in her real life, according to the stories and interviews about her.

She started her life as a singer in trains and her career graph from there is phenomenal. As an active participant in the freedom movement, she wore only Khadi. She recorded a lot of Gramaphone Disks, about the struggle and the sacrifices the fight for freedom involves.

Tamil Isai Sangam has awarded her the honor of “Tamil Isai Perarignar”, and the government has given her “Padmashri”. She also has the National Award and the Tamil Nadu State Award for the Best Female Playback Singer, both for the same movie Thunaivan. She was the first Lady Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and she was also the first female artist to get paid a lakh.

D.K.Pattammal (1919-2009)

Damal Krishnaswamy Pattamal, fondly called as DKP, was a very well-known Carnatic musician and a playback singer for Tamil movies. She along with M.S.Subbulakshmi and M.L.Vasanthakumari, were called the Female Trinity of Carnatic Music. These three people were the main reason behind the initiation of female singers into the realm of Carnatic music.

At birth, she was named Alamelu, and her nickname was Patta – which roughly translates into a child prodigy. Her father, Damal Krishnaswamy Dikshithar, and Kanthimathi, who was a singer herself, encouraged Pattammal to start singing. Her mother never got the opportunity to become a singer because of the time she grew up in, but made it a point to make Pattammal shine.

At the age of 10, she gave her first Radio performance and her first full-length public concert was at the age of 13, at Rasika Ranjani Sabha. She was introduced as a playback singer by Papanasam Sivan. She only sang devotional songs and seldom chose romantic songs. Her rendition of “Aaduvome Pallu paaduvome” rings in your ears the moment you think of the song. She is also a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.

P.Bhanumathi (1925-2005)

P.Bhanumathi was not only a singer but she was also an actor, director, film producer, and writer. She also composed music. Bhanumathi was aptly called the Ashtavdhini, which means someone who was well versed in 8 arts. She also owned a studio. Her songs are a foot tapper even now. “First Super Star” is the title given to her by the Telugu Audience.

Her father Venkata Subbaya, was an ardent classical music lover and he made it a point to train Bhanumathi from a very young age. She entered the cinema industry in 1930 and has worked in more than 100 films. She has songs in three languages – Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Her “Azhagaana Ponnudhan” is a hit even now. She also holds a Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Kalaimamani, and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South, to mention a few.

India definitely feels the dearth of actors who are multifaceted like Bhanumathi. We don’t come across actors or artists as versatile as the likes of Bhanumathi. This is one huge reason behind the question “Why we miss Bhanumathi?”

Jikki (1935-2004)

Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni, also known as Jikki, was originally from Andhra Pradesh. She is a well-known Indian Playback Singer, and she was singing from 1948-2004. She had an Uncle; Devaraj Naidu. He was into composing and he often worked with the king of theatre and pioneer in Movies, Gubbi Veeranna.

This paved the way for Jikki, to step into playback singing. Her first song was in the year 1948, for the movie “Gnanasoundari”. She was just 13 years old when she sang her first song. Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Telugu are a few of the languages she sang. She has sung for over 50 composers.

Her husband is none other than the legendary music director and playback singer A.M. Rajah. Rajah and Jikki have a lot of duets under their belt which have become massive hits. She is a recipient of Kalaimamani and Ugadi Puraskaram.

When the research and back study were going on for these iconic women in Music, we realized that the information we knew about these singers was at a bare minimum level and the more we read about these wonderful ladies, the happier we became of the legacy that they have left behind.

At this Women’s day

To the ones reading this, to the ones this article is about, and to the ones who are giving, nurturing, and taking care of lives, a very Happy Women’s Day.

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