Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...

. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including

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 wa ...

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 ...

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, na ...

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 ...

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 ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, Marati. and also Sinhale. She is also known for her extensive history of collaboration in the songs with Music Composers V Dakshinamoorthy., MS Baburaj, G Devarajan, Ghantasala, MS Viswanathan , KRaghavan,

Br Lakshmanan Br Lakshmanan was an Indian music director in Malayalam movies during 1950s and 1960s. Lakshmanan started his career with ''Aathmasakhi'' in 1952. He provided music for around 250 Malayalam movie songs. Lakshmanan's songs were also used in the ...

, LPR Varma, BA Chithambara athletes, AT Ummer, MK Arjun,Johnson, Ouseppachan,

Ilaiyaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one ...

, and with the playback singers

KJ Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as a c ...

and Ghantalasa over the years. Leela is known for her sweet and melodious voice that she named Ganamani''.'' She was awarded ''

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

'' in 2006.

Early life

P Leela was born in 1934, in

Chittur Chittur-Thathamangalam is a town and municipality in Palakkad district of Kerala State, India. It is the headquarters of Chittur taluk, south-east of Palakkad, on the banks of the Kannadipuzha, a major headstream of the Bharathapuzha, the sec ...

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated munici ...

, Kerala to V.K. Kunjanmenon and Porayath Meenakshi Amma. She was the youngest of the three daughters – Sharadha, Bhanumathi and Leela. V K Kunjanmenon was a teacher in Ramavarma Higher Secondary School at Ernakulam. V.K.Menon was passionate about music "We were three girls in our family and I was the youngest. My father wanted us to learn Carnatic music and all three of us used to sing well, My father was solely responsible for making me a singer." said Leela. Starting at the age of 13, she has sung about 5000 film songs in all the South Indian languages –

and

. She also sang for a Bengali film and in Sinhala movies. Her songs are known for their emotional touch and classical discipline. She made a name for herself by singing both in film industry and in

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 ...

. She considered it an honor to have sung in the same period as M S Subbulakshmi, M L Vasanthakumari and D K Pattammal – three giants of Carnatic Music. She has worked under all great music directors and has sung with all the major singers of the South Indian film industry.

Career

Leela's first guru was Thiribuvana Manibhagavadhar, the uncle of musician T. V. Gopalakrishnan. Later she learnt from Paththamadai Krishna Ayyar, Maruthuvakudi Rajagopala Iyer and Rama Bhagavathar. Leela was trained in Carnatic music by doyens such as

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad (state of Kerala, India). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to ...

and

V. Dakshinamoorthy Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy (9 December 1919 – 2 August 2013) was a veteran carnatic musician and composer and music director of Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films, predominantly in Malayalam films. He has set scores for the songs in over 125 ...

. Vadakkancheri Ramabhagavadhar was a close friend of Menon. He had settled down in Madras. He would invite Menon and Leela to Madras to learn music whenever he visited Ernakulam. The headmistress of the school where Leela was studying advised her father to take her to Madras for further training in music. It was Menon's ambition to make his youngest daughter an accomplished singer. Menon resigned his job in Ernakulam and took Leela to Madras in 1944. They stayed with Vadakkancheri Ramabagavathar in

Mylapore Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the cel ...

and the 10-year-old Leela started learning in

gurukula A or ( sa, गुरुकुल, gurukul) is a type of education system in ancient India with ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the guru, in the same house. The guru-shishya tradition is a sacred one in Hinduism and possibly ...

style. Her father was particular that Leela do sadhaka (practice music) early in the morning. In Madras, Leela had opportunities to listen concerts of singers like

Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (19 May 1890 – 23 January 1967), popularly known as ''Ariyakudi'', was a Carnatic music vocalist, born in Ariyakudi, a town in the present-day Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Ariyakudi developed a unique style of ...

, S. Ramanathan,

G. N. Balasubramaniam Gudalur Narayanaswamy Balasubramaniam (6 January 1910 – 1 May 1965), popularly known as GNB, was an Indian Carnatic singer. He innovated the art through emphasis on ''laya ''control and reducing the ''gamakas'' which eventually made Carnatic ...

Chembai Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad (state of Kerala, India). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to ...

and others. Leela said this 'kelvi gnanam' (learning music by listening) helped her much in fine-tuning music and molding her. Leela sang at many music competitions in the city winning prizes in 1946. Durgabai Deshmukh gave her the first concert at Andra Mahila Sabha. Leela was giving concerts in various places.

Entry into film industry

Columbia Recording Company was looking for a female voice and the manager Ganabathirama Iyer recommended Leela. She was appointed as their artiste. This paved the way for her entry into films. In Tamil, '' Nandakumar'' was the first movie to introduce playback singing. A.V. Meiyappa Chettiar came up with the innovative idea of replacing the soundtrack with voice and the playback system was introduced in Tamil cinema in 1938. It gradually got acceptance and many singers entered the movie world. "I was introduced at a time when actresses were singing for themselves," reminisces Leela. When she landed in Madras she did not know Tamil or Telugu. She used to write the song in Malayalam and practice them to perfection. Once she started her career as playback singer she arranged tutors and learnt other languages. She got her first offer to sing in 1948 for a Tamil movie. Her father was initially reluctant but later he was persuaded to accept. Leela made her debut as playback singer in the movie ''Kanganam''. She sang her first song, ''Sree Varalakshmi...'', when she was just 13 years old. C.H. Padmanabhasastry was the music director of the film. She sang all the songs for the heroine in that film. After her debut in ''Kanganam'', for two decades and more she was the most sought-after playback singer in South Indian Cinema. In 1948 she sang ''Paaduka Poonkuyile'' for the Malayalam movie ''Nirmala'', though '' Balan'', made in 1938, was the first Malayalam "talkie" with a sound track. ''Balan'' was produced by T.R Sundaram for Modern Theatres, Salem, with

S. Nottani S. Nottani was an Indian filmmaker. He created the first Malayalam "talkie Balan (film) in 1938. He also directed a Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the u ...

as the director.

Telugu movies

In 1949 Leela made her debut in

Telugu Cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

singing in three films: ''Manadesam'', ''

Keelu Gurram ''Keelu Gurram'' () is a 1949 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film produced and directed by Raja Saheb of Mirzapuram under the Sobhanachala Pictures banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Anjali Devi, with music composed by Ghantasal ...

'' and ''

Gunasundari Katha ''Gunasundari Katha'' is a 1949 Indian Telugu language fantasy film produced and directed by K. V. Reddy, starring Sriranjani, Kasturi Siva Rao, Santha Kumari. The script was written by Pingali Nagendra Rao, K. V. Reddy, and Kamalakara Kameswa ...

''. Singer and music director Ghantasala (with whom Leela has sung the most songs) introduced Leela in ''Manadesam''. She sang all the songs for the heroine in the film ''Gunasundari Katha.'' Songs of the film including ''Kalakala Aa Lokilemo'', ''Challani'', ''Doravele'', ''Chandamama'', ''Sree tulasi Jaya tulasi'', ''Ammaa mahalaxmi dayas'' and ''Eyavamma'' became hits. In the 1950s Leela was busy singing in all the South Indian languages. Her songs in films like ''

Patala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chak ...

'', ''

Missamma ''Missamma'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani on Vijaya Productions banner. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and ...

'', ''

Pelli Chesi Choodu ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter ti ...

'', ''

Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu ''Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu'' () is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani of Vijaya Productions; the latter co-wrote its script with Prasad and Vempati Sad ...

'', '' Gundamma Katha'' are the greatest melodies and remembered even today after many decades. Vijaya productions' first movie, ''Shavukaru'', did not fare well at the box office. However, the film had great melodies by Ghantasala and Leela. In the film ''Missamma'' (made as ''Missiyamma'' in Tamil), the music by S. Rajeswara Rao combined with the voices of A.M. Raja, P. Leela and P. Suseela have become immortal, casting a magical spell over the listeners. Vijaya productions sixth film made in the 1957, ''

Mayabazar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, w ...

'' (directed by K.V.Reddy) is a true classic. The song Vivaha Bhojanammu'' (''kalyana samaiyal satham)''' in the film still stands the test of time. In one of the interviews Leela recalled that while recording the songs of 'Maya Bazaar, the composer took 28 takes of a song and they used the fifth take. She worked as a music director for a film called ' Chinnari Papalu' (Telugu) in 1968. The film was produced exclusively by women. This list of Leela's achievements as singer will not be complete without mentioning the film ''

Lava Kusa ''Lava Kusa'' (also spelled as ''Lava Kusha'') is a 1963 Indian Hindu mythological film directed by C. S. Rao and his father C. Pullayya. The film was scripted by Sadasivabrahmam, Samudrala Sr. along with C. S. Rao and C. Pullayya. The fi ...

'' (1963). She sang eight songs along with

P. Susheela Pulapaka Susheela (born 13 November 1935), popularly known as P. Susheela, is an Indian playback singer associated with the South Indian cinema primarily from Andhra Pradesh for over six decades. She is one of the greatest and best-known playba ...

. Leela fulfilled her father's dreams, enthralling her fans with her mellifluous voice.Her melodies will be remembered and heard forever.

Devotional songs

Narayaniyam ''Narayaniyam'' is a medieval-era Sanskrit text, comprising a summary study in poetic form of the ''Bhāgavata Purana''. It was composed by Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, (1560–1666 AD) one of the celebrated Sanskrit poets in Kerala. Even thou ...

is an immortal sublime hymn on Lord

Guruvayoorappan Guruvayurappan ( ml, ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പന്‍, (transliterated guruvāyūrappan)) also often rendered Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple, w ...

, composed by

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri Melputtur Narayana Bhattatiri ( ml, മേല്പുത്തൂർ നാരായണ ഭട്ടതിരി Mēlputtūr Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭatiri; 1560–1646/1666), third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was a member of Madhava of Sangamagra ...

. When Guruvayoor Dewaswom decided to bring out the album Narayaniyam, names of several musicians like MS, MLV were considered and finally the Dewaswom approved Leela to sing Narayaniyam. "I got the chance to sing Narayaniyam which I consider as an honour..." said Leela. Another great work of Leela is

Jnanappana Jnanappana is a devotional poem written by the 16th century Malayalam poet Poonthanam. This poem written as a devotional prayer to Guruvayoorappan is considered as an important work in Malayalam literature. Written in simple Malayalam, the Jnan ...

. Jnanappana can be considered the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' ( ...

of Malayalees. Her soulful rendering of this philosophical poem is still considered one of the best classical in Malayalam devotional music.

Discography

:Main article List of songs by P. Leela This is partial list of P Leela's songs. # '' Sampoorna Ramayanam'' (1971) # ''

Paramanandayya Shishyula Katha ''Paramanandayya Sishyula Katha'' () is a 1966 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film directed by C. Pullayya. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, K. R. Vijaya with music composed by Ghantasala. It is produced by Thota Subba Rao under the Sridevi Produ ...

'' (1966) # ''Tirupathamma Katha'' (1963) # ''Mahamantri Timmarasu'' (1962) # '' Gundamma Katha'' (1962) # ''

Dakshayagnam Dakṣayajña is an important event in Hindu mythology that is narrated in various Hindu texts, Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (ritual-sacrifice) organised by Daksha, where his daughter, Sati (goddess), Sati, immolates herself. The wrath ...

'' (1962) # ''Sri Seetha Rama Kalyanam'' (1961) # ''Deepavali'' (1960) # ''Sahasra Siracheda Apoorva Chinthamani'' (1960) # ''

Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam ''Sri Venkateswara Mahatmyam'' is 1960 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by P. Pullaiah and produced by V. Venkateswarlu. It is based on the Venkateswara avatar of Vishnu at Tirumala. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, a ...

'' (1960) # ''Krishna Leelalu'' (1959) # ''Pelli Sandadi'' (1959) # ''Mangalya Balam'' (1958) # ''Dongallo Dora'' (1957) # ''

Panduranga Mahatyam ''Panduranga Mahatyam'' () is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Pundarika, produced by N. Trivikrama Rao under the National Art Theatres banner and directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. It stars N. T. Ram ...

'' (1957) # ''Preme Daivam'' (1957) # ''Sarangadhara'' (1957) # ''Bhakta Markandeya'' (1956) # ''

Bhale Ramudu Bhale Ramudu is a 1956 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by V. L. Narasu and directed by Vedantam Raghavayya. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Savitri, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. It is a remake of the Hindi f ...

'' (1956) # ''Jayam Manade'' (1956) # ''

Anarkali Anarkali () was a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, though scho ...

'' (1955) # ''Vadina Gari Gajulu'' (1955) # ''Vaddante Dabbu'' (1954) # ''Oka Talli Pillalu'' (1953) # '' Palletooru'' (1952) # ''

'' (1952) # ''

'' (1951) # ''Navvite Navaratnalu'' (1951) # ''Paramanandayya Shishyula Katha'' (1950) A partial list of Malayalam songs by P. Leela can be found at the Wikipedia entry: List of songs by P. Leela

Music Direction

She worked as the music director for the film '' Chinnari Papalu''. 1.Uyyala Uyala 2. Oyabbo Emdi Chinnari Papalu Vocals:P Suseela 3. E kKommaku Poocheno E Gaaliki Veecheno

Personal life

Leela married a lawyer, but the marriage was not successful. In her later years, Leela was busy rendering classical concerts and light music programs. Leela was staying with her sister's children in Defence colony,

St. Thomas Mount Parangimalai (known in English as St. Thomas Mount) is a small hillock in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport. The ancient Syrian Christian community of India trace t ...

(Parangimalai). Her world consisted of her music, her pooja room and memories of her father. V.K.Menon was the man behind the singer Leela. In many of the interviews Leela emotionally recalled "If I am standing in front of you and talking, it is because of my father; he was everything to me. The fame, wealth was all given to me by him. Without him, I am not what I am."

Legacy, Singing style

She was known for her ability to sing both classical and light, film music also her emotional touch and classical discipline she imparted. It can be well explained by her song in the film

Chilamboli ''Chilamboli'' is a 1963 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by G. K. Ramu and produced by Kalyanakrishna Iyer. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sukumari, Adoor Bhasi and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film had musical score by V. Dakshinamoort ...

, Priyamanasa née composed by V Dakshinamoorthy and sung by her, which is a film song with strict classical touch and emotion. On her death, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,

Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

said

Awards and recognition

1.Civilian Honours by Government of India

She was awarded

posthumously for her contributions in the year 2006.

Tamil Nadu State Honour

She was conferred with the

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 ...

title in 1992 by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa

Kerala State Awards

Leela received the best playback singer award of the Kerala government in 1969 for the song ''Ujjayiniyile Gaayika'' from the movie

Kadalpalam ''Kadalpalam'' is a 1969 Malayalam language film directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan, written by K. T. Mohammed and produced by M. O. Joseph under Manjilas Films. The film stars Sathyan, Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi with Sheela, Bahadoor and Adoor Bh ...

. She received a Certificate of Honour for the Growth and Developments of Malayalam Films by Kerala Government.

Other awards

*Janmashtami Puraskaram instituted by Balasamskara Kendram for her efforts in spreading 'Narayaniyam', 'Jnanappana' and 'Harinamakeerthanam. * Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy awards for Best Classical Mucisian. * Kamukara Awards * Thyagaraja Bhagavthar special awards by Tamil Nadu government *Madras Music Academy Gold Medal * Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Special Jury Awards *Film fans awards *Life achievement awards by the sangam kala group-hero honda *Sivapadmam Award *Swathi Ratna award and Title by Malayali club Madras for propagating Swathi Thirunal krithis *Vayalar Memorial Cultural Award 1997" by Kala Kairali and Vayalar Memorial Cultural Award Academy. *Malayalam Cine Technicians Association (MACTA) honorary membership.

Titles

*.P Leela has been conferred with many titles like ''ganamani'', ''ganakokila'', ''kalarathnam'' and ''ganavarshini'', *1 Curnool - Thyagaraja Sangeetha Sabha - "Ganamathi" *2. Anbathur - Maunaswamigal - "Sangeetha Hamsani" *3. Guntur - Guntur Cultural Academy - "Ganakokila" 4. Chennai - St. Thomas Arts Academy - "Sangeetha Saraswathi" 5. Trivandrum - Trivandrum Devaswom Board - "Kalaratnam" 6. Newyork - Kannada Kota & Tamil Sangam - "Gana Varshini" 7. Guruvayoor - Venkatachalapathi Temple - "Nada Sudha" 8. Guruvayoor - Sangeerthana Trust - "Bakthi Gana Thilakam" 9. Arni - Sri Thyagaraja Sabha - "Irai Isai Mamani" 10. Guruvayoor - Guruvayoor Temple - "Sangeetha Narayani"

Death

P. Leela died on 31 October 2005, at 00:40

IST Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...

Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre (SRMC) is a tertiary care multi-specialty university hospital in Chennai, India. With over 1,500 beds, 114 ICU beds, 25 operating rooms, and a campus spread over , SRMC is one of the largest private health care f ...

in Chennai. She was hospitalized in late September after suffering serious injuries sustained due to a fall at the bathroom in her home. Though she was operated on, her condition suddenly worsened due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, probably a complication of

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

she suffered for a long time, and she went into a deep

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

a day before she died. She was cremated with full state honours the same day at Besant Negar Crematorium.

Memorial

An open stage named Thiruvarangu was built in 2018 at her native place Chittur-Tathamangalam in her memory.

Discography

* List of songs by P. Leela

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leela, P. 1934 births 2005 deaths Indian women playback singers Singers from Kerala Tamil playback singers Malayalam playback singers Kannada playback singers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts People from Palakkad district 20th-century Indian singers Film musicians from Kerala Women musicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian women singers