M. L. Vasanthakumari
Madras Lalithangi Vasanthakumari | |
|---|---|
MLV in late 1940s | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 3 July 1928 Madras, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | 31 October 1990 (aged 62) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Genres | Carnatic music – Indian Classical Music and Playback singing |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1942–1990 |
| Labels | His Master's Voice, EMI, RPG, AVM Audio, Inreco, Vani, Amutham Inc, Doordarshan, Super Audio, Geethanjali, Kosmic Music, Charsur Digital Workshop etc. |
Madras Lalithangi Vasanthakumari (3 July 1928 – 31 October 1990), commonly referred to as MLV, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer for films which had used several South Asian languages. She and her contemporaries, D. K. Pattammal and M. S. Subbulakshmi, are often referred to as the female trinity of Carnatic music. A prime disciple of G. N. Balasubramaniam, she was the youngest among the established musicians of that era and the youngest female to receive the Sangita Kalanidhi award. In 1967, the government of India honored her with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award. Her daughter, the late Srividya, was an actress in Tamil and Malayalam films.
As well as being a sought-after playback singer for films, Vasanthakumari popularized lesser-known ragas, and her RTPs were regarded as cerebral. Additionally, she popularized the compositions of the Haridasas. Her disciples include her daughter Srividya, Sudha Raghunathan, Charumathi Ramachandran, and A. Kanyakumari.