The Bombay sisters, C. Saroja (b. 7 December 1936) and C. Lalitha (b. 26 August 1938), are a

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, 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, an ...

singing duo.

Early life

The Bombay Sisters, C. Saroja and C. Lalitha, were born in Trichur,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

to Mukthambal and N. Chidambaram Iyer. The sisters were brought up in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. Saroja and Lalitha had their education in the S.I.E.S Matunga, passed their intermediate privately from Bhopal, M.P. and completed their graduation from Delhi University. They had their musical training with H. A. S. Mani,

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 ...

and T. K. Govinda Rao. After they were groomed in Carnatic Music in Mumbai, the sisters moved to Chennai. But a swami addressed them as 'Bombay Sahodarigal' and blessed them, and the name stuck. Saroja's husband Rajaram was the chief secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi, and Lalitha's husband Chandran was an advocate. The sisters credited their husbands in helping them to continue to perform together after they got married.

Concert performances

As part of the trend of duo singing in

, which started in the 1950s, with performers like

Radha Jayalakshmi Radha (born 1932) and Jayalakshmi (1932 - 2014), popularly known as Radha Jayalakshmi ( ta, ராதா ஜெயலட்சுமி), were an Indian Carnatic music vocalist duo as well as playback singers in films in the 1940s and 1950s. Th ...

, and

Soolamangalam Sisters Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi ( ta, சூலமங்கலம் ஜெயலட்சுமி) and Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi ( ta, சூலமங்கலம் ராஜலட்சுமி), popularly known as Soolamangalam Sisters ( ta, � ...

, Bombay Sisters have been singing since 1963 when they started with light classical music, subsequently progressing to classical Carnatic music. They sing in multiple languages including

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

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 ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. They are also known for promoting young musicians through endowments and scholarships.

Awards

* 2020-

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 ...

* ''Isai Peraringar Award'', 2006; awarded by the

Tamil Isai Sangam Isai Mandram is a music association started to promote pure form of ancient Tamil music popularly known as the tamizh Isai throughout Tamil Nadu. The current president of the association is Judge P.R.Gopalakrishnan. The main premises are located in ...

Sangeetha Kalasikhamani Sangeetha Kalasikhamani or Sangita Kalasikhamani (Sanskrit: saṅgītakalāśikhāmaṇi) (sangeetha = music, kala = art, sikhamaṇi = A gem of a diadem or crest) is the title awarded yearly to an expert Carnatic music Carnatic music, kno ...

, 2006 awarded by The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai *

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 of ...

for contributions to Carnatic music - Government of Tamilnadu . * First women to be conferred the status of ''

Asthana Vidushi Asthana Vidushi is an honorary title bestowed to a court musician or dancer in India. Notable Asthana Vidushis include Bangalore Nagarathnamma, Aruna Sairam, Bombay Sisters, M. S. Sheela, Geetha Raja, as well as Srirangam Gopalaratnam, Shobha Ra ...

'' by the Kanchi matha. * Sangeetha Kalanidhi Award for the year 2010 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 ...

. *

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 Ut ...

Award for the year 1991 from the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. * Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2004 - Government of India * S V Narayanaswamy Rao Award 2018, awarded by the Sree Rama Seva Mandali, Bangalore * Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer Memorial Award 2013 *Sangeetha Kala Nipuna awarded by Mylapore Fine Arts Club, Madras in 1994 *MS Subbulakshmi Award 2019, awarded by the Government of Tamilnadu

Discography

1.Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham & Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam 2.Sri Parthasarathy Suprabhatham & Pasurangal 3.Sri Kamakshi Suprabhatham (2018) 4.Sri Raghavendra Suprabhatham & Sthothras 5.Sri Mookambika Suprabhatham 6. Sri Sharada Suprabhatham & Other Sthothras 7. Sri Bhubaneswari Suprabhatham & Songs 8. Sri Kalikambal Suprabhatham 9. Siva Suprabhatham & Sthothras 10.Sri Lakshmi Hayagreeva Stotram 11.Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Stotram (1991) 12.Sri Lakshmi Sahasranamam 13.Mooka Panchasathi 14.Gangalahari 15. Sri Bilva Ashtothara Sathanamavali 16.Devi Mahathmayam 17.Sowdaryalahari 18.Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam & Ashtothram 19.Durga Sthothram 20.Sree Mahishasuramardini Sthothram 21.Sriman Narayaneeyam 22.Sthothravali 23.Sthothramala 24.Sri Hanuman Chalisa & Other Hanumath Stothras (2008) 25. Chinna Chinna Slogangal 26. Krishna Karnamrutham 27. Sivanandalahari 28. Sri Vishnu Padadi Kesantha Sthothram 29. AanandaLahari 30. Dakshinamurthy Sthothram 31. Adi Sankara SivasthuthiMala 32. Aadithya Hridayam 33. SriSthuthi Bhoosthuthi 34.Padmanabha Sathakam 35. Subrahmanyam (Kandarkalivemba) 36.Sri Lalitha Trisathi And Other Devi Stothras 37. Devi Sthothra Malika 38. Devi Sthothra Mala 39. Mahishasura Mardhini (Nadam Music) 40. Ramaya Thubhyam Namah 41. Valmiki Ramayanam 42. Sri Dattathreya Sthothram 43. Sri Bhubaneswari Suprabhatham And Ashtakam 44.Sri Pudukkottai Bhuvaneswari Suprabhatham And Songs *

1. Sapthaham (1991) 2. Sundara Narayana Guruvayurappan Gananjali Vol 8- CD 1 3. Sundara Narayana Guruvayurappan Gananjali Vol 8- CD 2 *

1.Sri Guruvayurappa Suprabhatham 2. Kandar Sashti Kavacham(Sangeetha Music) 3.Daivegathenisai 4.Ganapathi Aayiram Namangal 5.Enn Annai 6.Divyaprabadham 7.Jaya Jaya Kali 8.Kandar Sashti Kavacham (KRV Music) 9.Karumari Amman Andhadi 10.Koil Mani Osai 11.Maagadu Amman Aaruvara Padalgal 12.Maduraimeenakshi 13.Mahishasuramardhini (Symphony music) 14.Narayana Leelanjali 15.Navagraha Krithis 16.Pallikkarannai Parasakthi 17.PoornayogaVibhavam 18.Ramanar Suprabhatham 19. Sai Bhajan 20. Sakthiye Sakthi 21. Saravana Sangeetham 22. Shanmukha Suprabhatham 23. Kudavarasi Amman Padalgal 24. Sivadarisanam 25.Sri Bhuvaneswari Kavacham 26. Sri Hanumanchalisa & Songs 27. Sri Panchamukha Herambha Ganapathi Kavacham (1993) 28.Prasanna Venkatachalapathi pukazhmalai 29.Raghavedra Songs 30 Raghavendra Suprabhatham 31.Raghavendra Navarathnamalai 32.Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan Sthothram 33. Sri Thiruchedur Suprabhatham 34.Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham (Tamil) 35. Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam (Tamil) 36. Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam (Tamil) 37. Bhajagovindam & Mukundamala (1991) 38. Aandal 39.Vinayaka Agaval 40.Thiruppugazh 41 Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham (syphony) 42.Mahalakshmi Suprabhatham *

1.Devi Geethanjali (1991). 2.Ambe Mookambe (1991). 3.Kailasagirivasa Sri Manjunatha 4. Navagraha Bhakthimala 5. Srinivasa Vaibhava 6. Varamahalakshmi 7. Venkateswara Suprabhatham (Kannada) 8. Gorahanahalli Mahalakshmi Suprabhatham

References

External links

Profile at ChennaiOnline.com

BombaySisters.com
{{authority control Women Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Singers from Chennai Singers from Thrissur Indian musical duos Sibling musical duos Musical groups established in 1963 1963 establishments in India 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian singers Women musicians from Maharashtra Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award