Lalitha Sivakumar is a

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 ...

teacher and composer. She was known for vocally accompanying her mother-in-law and leading Carnatic vocalist, the late D. K. Pattammal, in concerts,.The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai - Columns : Life time bond with music
/ref> Lalitha Sivakumar is also prominently known as the mother and

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

of Nithyashree Mahadevan, a vocalist in Indian music.The Hindu : Entertainment Bangalore - Music : Proud pedigree is not all
She is a well known veteran guru (teacher) of the D.K.P's school of Carnatic Music.

Early life

Lalitha Sivakumar's father,

Palghat Mani Iyer Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (1912–1981), born Thiruvilvamalai Ramaswamy was one of the leading mridangists in the field of Carnatic music. He, along with his contemporaries Palani Subramaniam Pillai and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are ...

, was a mridangist in the field of Carnatic music, and was the first mridangist to win the Sangeetha Kalanidhi and Padmabhushan awards. At the age of 18, Lalitha Sivakumar was married to I. Sivakumar, son of D. K. Pattammal. The day after the wedding, she received training in Carnatic music from D. K. Pattammal.

Career

Shortly thereafter, both as a solo performer and as a musician accompanying D. K. Pattammal, she received praise from several other leading Carnatic vocalists including D. K. Jayaraman, K. V. Narayanaswamy and

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

. However, her career as a solo performer was brief, and she remained content vocally accompanying her guru. Lalitha Sivakumar has composed, and set music to a number of

kritis ''Kriti'' (Sanskrit: कृति, ''kṛti'') is a format of musical composition typical to Carnatic music. ''Kritis'' form the mental backbone of any typical Carnatic music concert and is the longer format of Carnatic song. "Kriti" also means C ...

, tillanas, and bhajans, in a variety of Indian languages. Several Organisations have recognised Smt.Lalitha Sivakumar's talent and contributions to the world of Carnatic music. Recently, On Recognising that A Musical Legacy continues, Madras South Lions Charitable Trust & RASA - A.R.P.I.T.A - Academy for Research & Performance of Indian Theatre Arts, together conferred the title 'ISAI RASA MAAMANI' on Smt.Lalitha & I.Sivakumar, on 4 January 2016. The life of Lalitha Sivakumar as a teacher is a stunning success. The D.K.P's school of Carnatic Music is led by Lalitha Sivakumar. Comparatively, this school is said to have a huge number of learners widespread everywhere across the globe. Most of the students from this school are said to have become performing artists. Also there are a good number of students who learnt from her and has become good teachers in many parts of the world. She is considered to be a veteran teacher in this field and is sending forward the musical legacy of D.K.P to several students worldwide. Her way of teaching is said to be unique and authentic, adhering to various principles of this classical music and languages, and at the same time making an allowance among the learners for brilliant improvisation, walking through the classical limits easily. Her emphasise on adhering to the principles of Carnatic Music, developed over a period of time by many eminent doyens, her emphasise on language, makes the school well known for its pronunciation and presentation skills of its performers. Lalitha Sivakumar has given Advanced Carnatic Vocal Training to the students directly and also virtually for students away from India. Other than Dr. Nithyasree Mahadevan, Lalitha Sivakumar's disciples also include

Lavanya Sundararaman Lavanya Sundararaman is a Carnatic musician. She received initial training from Poornapragya Rao, and went on to receive further training from her family of musicians. Early life and family Lavanya was born to Gayathri and Dr. R. Sundararaman. ...

(her granddaughter), Dr.Niranjana Srinivasan, Pallavi Prasanna,The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Music : Judicious selection of songs
Nalini Krishnan, Maharajapuram Srinivasan, Dr. Periyasamy and several others.
/ref> As a testimony to her music knowledge, Smt. Lalitha Sivakumar is the most preferred judge for several Carnatic Music competitions and Devotional Music competitions held throughout the year in India.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivakumar, Lalitha Living people Performers of Hindu music Indian women classical musicians Carnatic musicians Indian music educators Women educators from Tamil Nadu Educators from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian educators Year of birth missing (living people) Women musicians from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian composers 20th-century Indian women musicians Women music educators 20th-century women composers 20th-century women educators