Sukanya Ramgopal
Sukanya Ramgopal is an Indian carnatic performer from Tamil Nadu. She is most popular as the primary lady ghatam player in Carnatic music. She is additionally capable in carnatic vocal, violin, mridangam and veena. She got a few honors including Sangeet Natak Akademi Grant, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Institute Grant and grants from Madras Music Foundation, Chennai.
Biography
Sukanya Ramgopal was brought into the world on 13 June 1957, at Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu, as the fifth offspring of Subramaniam and Ranganayaki. She is granddaughter of Tamil researcher U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. She learned at a Montessori school close to her home and later at N K Tirumalachariar Public Young ladies’ Secondary School. Subsequent to finishing a pre-college course from Ethiraj School, Chennai, Sukanya did her under-graduation BSc in science from Equity Basheer Ahmed Sayeed School for Ladies, Chennai.
Sukanya experienced childhood in Thyagaraja Vilasam in the old Triplicane area of Chennai. She paid attention to music since the beginning, adoring percussion then as of now. Sukanya and her sister Bhanumati were first shipped off take Carnatic vocal examples under Thazhakudi Ayyasaami Iyer. Afterward, she was shipped off get familiar with the violin at the music school Shree Jaya Ganesha Tala Vadya Vidyalaya close to her home, set up by the group of the ghatam example Vikku Vinayakram. Her violin aces were Dhanapalan and Vikku’s sibling T. H. Gurumoorthy. Vinayakram’s dad T. H. Harihara Sharma saw that Sukanya was more inspired by mridangam class there. He furtively showed her mridangam. Yet, soon she was drawn to the ghatam and gained ghatam from Vinayakram and his dad. Her Master Vinayakram, who at first said, ‘This instrument is truly challenging for a young lady’, seeing her devotion and ability, consented to educate her. She is similarly capable in Konnakol (vocal percussion). She is ‘A-top’ craftsman of All India Radio.
Music Career
Sukanya Ramgopal is most popular as the main lady ghatam player in Carnatic music. She has performed ghatam with renowned Carnatic artists like Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. Balamuralikrishna, Palghat R. Raghu and so on. She is additionally capable in carnatic vocal, violin, mridangam and veena. Ghata Tharang is an exceptional idea brought about by Sukanya, in 1992. In Ghata Tarang, she play 6 – 7 ghatams of various shruthis, in this manner making tune on a percussion instrument. She played out the Shankarabharanam raga with 8 ghatams and Sriranjini raga with 7 ghatams. That is the initial time, a percussion instrument comes as the fundamental piece of a Carnatic show. She drives an all-female instrumental gathering, the Sthree Thaal Tarang, which incorporates ghatam, violin, veena, morsing and mridangam. The gathering continually features new and veteran ladies percussionists of the country. She additionally runs Sri Vikku Vinayakram School for Ghatam in Bengaluru. She established Sunaadam Beneficent Trust, for educating and promoting the ghatam. Sukanya composed a book on ghatam named Sunaadam, The Vikku Bani of Ghatam Playing. She was additionally highlighted in the book The Vocalist and the Tune: Discussion with Ladies Artists by C. S. Lakshmi, distributed by Kali for Lady in 2000.
Awards and honors
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2014
- Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy Award, 1982
- Ananya Puraskara 2015 by Ananya Cultural Academy, Bangalore
- DEVI award 2015 from Indian Express
- Best Senior Ghatam Artist Award from Madras Music Academy, 2007
- T. T. K. Award 2017 from Madras Music Academy
- Award from Narada Gaana Sabha, Chennai, 1990
- Raaga Tharangini Award from Dr.Semmangudi Srinivasaier, 2000
- Putaachaar Award from Percussive Arts Centre Bangalore, 2001
- Best Artist of the Year Award from Bangalore Gayana Samaja, 2009
- She was felicitated by the Ayyanar College of Music, Bangalore, 2008.
