Smt.Rugmani Gopalakrishnan.Top Grade Artist.

                                                             Smt Rugmani Gopalakrishnan, born on 24-8-1936 to Sri P V Sreenivasa Iyer and Smt P V Lakshmi Ammal, hails from a musical family and hence had good taste in music from childhood itsef. She is the grand daughter of Gayakasikhamani Harikesanalloor Dr L Muthayyah Bhagavatar, the founder and first principal  of  Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Tivandrum. She learnt her first lessons in music from her mother.


From the age of 12, she started learning music from her maternal uncle Sri Nellai T V Krishnamoorthy. At the age of 13, she joined the Music Acadamy in the vocal department, electing veena as subsidiary subject. It was a four year course (Ganabhooshanam), but during her final exams in second year, having listened to her veena rendering, Sri Musiri Subrahmanya Iyer recommended to Sri Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer, the then principal to award double promotion to Smt Rugmani considering her outstanding knowledge in veena, which would develop her as a veteran veena vidushi in future. This was materialized in Sri Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer's period by getting special sanction from the Govt. of Kerala. Till date she is the only peson to have secured such promotion.


In the Year 1954, she won the AIR competition prize and was privileged to secure the award from the first president of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. In the same year, she received the cultural scholarship from Govt. of India for a period of 2 years to learn the techniques and baani of her guru Padmabhooshan Sri K S Narayana Swamy Iyer.

From 1954 onwards, she is regularly giving concerts in India and abroad, in Doordarsan and in All India Radio. She gives regular national programmes, south zone concerts, Ragam Thanam Pallavi Concerts and normal concerts. The first veena programme after the commencement of Doordarsan Kendra in Trivandrum was her by her.

In the 1956, she was appointed in the same college where she studied as an assistant professor of Veena. She continued her service as professor and then as head of the Department and then finally retired from service as principal from Chembai Memorial Music College, Palghat (1957-1990).

Smt Rugmani is an A Top classified artist in AIR. She is a member of the local audition board, Trivandrum for the last 10 years and the Central Audition Board, All India Radio. She has been a member in the board of examinations for B.A and M.A for Veena Under University, Trivandrum. She was a member of the first Swaralaya Yesudas Award Committee, Kairali TV in the year 2001.

She has written a book "VEENA BODHINI" in two volumes, each consisting of 50 krithis of various composers incuding Navagraha Krithis and Pancharathna Krithis along with their meaning and notation. It was published by the Bhasha Institute, Trivandrum. She also has released a CD comprising of Krithis by Harikeshanalloor Dr L Muthayyah Bhagavatar and Ragamalika Tanam.

  • AWARDS.
  • In the Year 1954, she won the AIR competition prize and was privileged to secure the award from the first president of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad.
  •                 Chembai Memorial Award in the year 2000
  •                 Recognition of honor by Sree Chitra Thirunal Smaraka Sangeetha Natya Kala Kendram at 89th Sree Chitra Thirunal Jayanthi Celebrations on 13th November 2001 held at Thiruvananthapuram.
  •                Honored by Padmasri K.J. Yesudas at Soorya Festival 2005 for Guru Pooja, on the inaugural function held at Thiruvananthapuram.
  •                Honoured by The All Kerala Brahmins  Association (Women's Wing) On the International  Women's Day for the contribution rendered towards the field of music.
  •               Navarasam  Sangeetha Sabha - V Sarasamma Award 2006
  •    Honoured by "Adi Shankara Veda Vedanta Samaskritha Cooperation Educational Society" conferring the award of "Sangeetha Ratna" on 09 January 2006.

  •              Honoured by Kerala Sangeetha Natak Acadamy at the Guru Pooja 2008

  •               Honoured during the 88th Birthday Ceebration of Padmashree  Mavelika Krishnan Kutty Nair (Mridangist) Day Celebration for the Meritorious services in music - Veena
  •              Received the title "Veena Vadana Sasthragna" from Bharath Veenalaya, New Delhi on October 2nd 2013.
  •              Received Padmabhooshan K S Narayanaswamy Sangeetha Ratna Puraskar 2014.

          .

                                                     

                 Important  public performances.

  1.            Music Academy, Chennai
  2.            Kerala Sabha, New Delhi
  3.            Saraswathy Hall, Chennai
  4.            Music Sabha, Palghat
  5.            Aradhana Sabha, Thiruvanathapuram
  6.            Swathy Thirunal Sangeetha Sabha, Thiruvananthapuram
  7.            Rasika Ranjni Sabha, Kolkata
  8.            Doordarshan Kendra, Thiruvananthapuram
  9.            Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai
  10.            kerala Sangeetha Natak Academy, Palghat
  11.            "Suprabhath" Doordarshan National Relay
  12.            "South Zone Programme" Doordarshan, Thiruvananthapuram
  13.             Doordharshan National Programme, Thiruvananthapuram
  14.            "Swara Sudha" Soorya TV
  15.            "Ragolsavam" Kairali TV
  16.            Amritha TV
  17.            Maanaveeyam Concert, Thiruvananthapuram
  18.            Swathy Natakashala Program at Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram
  19.            Kerala Lead Veena artist in the First ever South Indian Symphony of 3800 Musicians - Sri sri Ravishankar - Art of Living Silver                       Jubilee Celebration Held at Banglore and Kochi.   

                                                                                     

                       Lecture Demonstrations

  •    Was appointed as resource Person for Refresher course in Music (For music students) conducted by University of Kerala.

                                                 A.  How to learn and acquire proficiency in Veena                                                 B.   Importance of Gamakas

  • Was invited as Resource Person for refresher course in Music (For Leturers) conducted by University of Kerala in the year 1999-2000

                                                 A. Techniques of teaching from "Preliminary to Thanam".                                                                                                                                                      B. Closed Allied Ragas

  • Lecture Demonstration at R.L.V College of Music and Fine Arts, Thirupunithra on 27 Jan 2010 in  the "Sadhana" celebrations. 

                                                                                  Topic:- "Padma Bhushan Shri K.S Narayana Swamy Bhani"

  • Lecture demonstration at Sri Swathy Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram in the "Sadhana" Celebrations 9 Dec 2009.
  • Lecture Demonstration at Chembai Govt. Music College Palghat, Thiruvananthapuram in the "Sadhana" Celebrations.
  • Lecture demonstration on "Apoorva Raga & Rare Krithis by Gayaka Shikhamony Harikesanalloor Dr.L Muthayyah Bhagavathar                 at Kalady Sanskrit University.
  • Lecture demonstration on on "CLOSELY ALLIED RAGAS" at Govt. Womens College, Thiruvanathapuram on June 2012.    



           

 




             

             


 





                         

                                      

                                                                     

                                

                                  


.