Rajam Pushpavanam

Rajam Pushpavanam (1918–1991), was the daughter of the music vidwan Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer, who was a notable carnatic musician.[1] Rajam Pushpavanam, a cousin of musician Madurai Mani Iyer, was a singer and music director.

Smt. Rajam Pushpavanam
BornFeb 1918
(Madurai, India)
Died6 December 1991 (1991-12-07) (aged 73)
Years active1930–1943 (Carnatic Vocalist)
Spouse(s)S.R.Venkatraman (d. 1950)
Parent(s)

Early life

Born in 1918 to Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer and Sundarathammal, she lost her father when she was about two or three years old. Raised by her mother and grandparents she took to music and became known as a singer. She recorded an LP, in 1930, with Columbia Records, when she was only 12 years old.[2][3] Katcheris followed in succession and she was a successful singer from the late 1920s till the early 1940s.

She constructed a bungalow in the heart of Mylapore, after buying the land for Rs 4550, a princely sum in 1939 and registering it in her mother’s name. She was 21 years old then.

She owned among other things, a fleet of cars. She had a driver's license in 1940 and was the first among woman carnatic musicians to drive on her own. It was also said that there were only four women who drove cars in Madras at that time.

Pushpavanam was the first woman music director of South India.[4] In 1937, she composed music for the film, Rajasekaran in which M. R. Radha acted.[5]

Personal life

At 22, she married S.R.Venkatraman, son of Swaminatha Iyer who had been the Divan (Minister) of the Ramnad kingdom. A son, Srinivasan, was born in 1942. In 1944, while she was away at a concert. he succumbed to a sudden attack of pneumonia and died. She retired after he died.

Her focus now changed to her family, and she had four more children. Later in life, after the death of her husband, she took up to singing for All India Radio and continued to do this for a couple of decades.

Death

She lived with her elder son all her life and in 1991 moved to her second son’s home in Secunderabad. She died on 8 December 1991.

Award in her memory

An award, "Bala Gnana Kala Bharathi", has been instituted in her memory at Bharat Kalachar, Chennai. The first award was given to Selvi Sooryagayathri in the presence of the Telangana Governor, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on December 14, 2019[6][7]

Her songs

A few of her songs are available on YouTube and one in Carnatica's old and rare recordings collection.

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References
  1. Sruti. P.N. Sundaresan. 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2018. ... Those who understand carnatic music know the value of Rajam Pushpavanam's records. Not only has she a superb voice 'with beauty of tone and delicacy of expression' and style but in addition a great charm which comes through well on her ...
  2. Npedia Technology PVT LTD. "Rajam Pushpavanam [256]". Sruti.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  3. "Winding back to the yore". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  4. "They set the trend..." The Hindu. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  5. "இப்படித்தான் வளர்ந்தது தமிழ் சினிமா.. இதோ சில 'முதல்கள்'!". 25 June 2015.
  6. "Bharat Kalachar Award Function".
  7. "Kuldeep M Pai". YouTube. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
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