Parassala B. Ponnammal Explained

Parassala B. Ponnammal
Birth Date:1924 11, df=y
Birth Place:Parassala, Travancore, British India
Death Place:Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Genre:Indian classical music
Occupation:Classical vocalist

Parassala B. Ponnammal (29 November 1924  - 22 June 2021) was an Indian Carnatic musician from the south Indian state of Kerala. She was a classical carnatic vocalist in the lineage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and Papanasam Sivan. She was the first woman to perform at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram as a part of the Navaratri Celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

Ponnammal was a recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 2017. She was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship and the Kerala state government's Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram.

Early life

Ponnammal was born on 29 November 1924 in Parassala, in the present-day Thiruvananthapuram district in the south Indian state of Kerala, to R. Mahadeva Iyer and A. Bhagavathy Ammal in a Kerala Iyer family.[1] She started her studies in carnatic music as a child; during the early 1940s, she was the first female student to enroll in the newly started Swathi Thirunal College of Music in Thiruvananthapuram, which was then known as Sree Swathi Thirunal Music Academy. She graduated from the academy with a first rank in "Gana Bhushanam" and "Gana Praveena" courses.

She learned from several notable figures in carnatic music, including Papanasam Sivan, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.[2]

Career

Ponnammal started her career as a music teacher by joining the Cotton Hill Girls High School in Thiruvananthapuram. She later became the first female member of the teaching faculty at the Swathi Thirunal College of Music in Thiruvananthapuram.[3] She was the first woman principal to head the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts at Tripunithura.[4] As a teacher, some of her disciples included Kumara Kerala Varma, Neyyattinkara Vasudevan, K. Omanakutty, A. K. Raveendranath, Nedumangad Sasidharan, M.G. Radhakrishnan, Palkulangara Ambika Devi, G. Seethalakshmi, S Mahadevan, Amruta Venkatesh.[5] Renowned Carnatic vocalist Mangad K. Natesan, his daughter Prof. (Dr.)Mini N and her husband Dr. Sajith E. N. and their daughter Dr. Mythili E. S. have also learned from her.

Ponnammal was a carnatic musician in the lineage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and Papanasam Sivan. Some of her performances included the Guruvayur Puresa Suprabhatham,[6] Trisivapuresa Suprabhatham, Ulsava Prabhandam, Navarathri Kriti, Meenambika Sthothram, in addition to compositions of Irayamman Thampi and K. C. Kesava Pillai.[7]

She became the first woman to perform at the Navaratri celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala when she performed at the Navarathri Mandapam in 1996. In doing so, she broke a centuries-old restriction that forbade women from performing at the temple.[8] She went on to perform there for the next ten years. She continued to perform across India and abroad through her 80s.[9] [10]

Ponnammal was a recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor in 2017. She also received the Kerala State Government's Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009, and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.

Personal life

Ponnammal was married to R. Devanayagam Iyer, who pre-deceased her. The couple had three sons - D. Mahadevan, D. Subramanian, D Ramaswamy - and a daughter, D Kamala. Her children Ramaswamy and Kamala pre-deceased her.[11] [12] She died on 22 June 2021, at her home in Valiyassala, Thiruvananthapuram, aged 96.[13] [14]

Recognition

Her awards include:

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Roshni. R. K.. 22 June 2021. Parassala B. Ponnammal passes away. en-IN. The Hindu. 24 June 2021. 0971-751X. 22 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210622182514/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/parassala-b-ponnammal-passes-away/article34913814.ece. live.
  2. News: Grace Notes From Travancore. outlookindia.com/. 29 November 2017. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031410/https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/grace-notes-from-travancore/298462. live.
  3. News: A rare gem of a musician. Varma. Aswathi Thirunal Rama. The Hindu. 31 May 2017. 14 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170214033455/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/A-rare-gem-of-a-musician/article17266915.ece. live.
  4. News: A doyen in her own right. Ranee Kumar. The Hindu. 31 May 2017. 26 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200326173950/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/A-doyen-in-her-own-right/article15586732.ece. live.
  5. Web site: Parassala Ponnammal. 31 July 2021.
  6. News: 6 June 2017. Parassala Ponnammal S Mahadevan. en-US. S Mahadevan. 16 January 2018. 16 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116140228/http://smahadevan.in/parassala-ponnammal. live.
  7. Web site: Ms. Parassala Ponnammal Kerala Tourism. 29 November 2017. www.keralatourism.org. en. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040635/https://www.keralatourism.org/leadinglights/ms-parassala-ponnammal/69. live.
  8. Web site: Doyen of Carnatic music Parassala B Ponnammal dies at 96 in Kerala. 24 June 2021. The New Indian Express. 22 June 2021 . 22 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210622104150/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2021/jun/22/doyen-of-carnatic-music-parassala-b-ponnammal-dies-at-96-in-kerala-2319877.html. live.
  9. News: പൊന്നമ്മാളിന്റെ സംഗീത യാത്രയ്ക്ക് പത്മശീയുടെ തിളക്കം. Mathrubhumi. 31 May 2017. 12 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170612051903/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/parassala-b-ponnammal-1.1682994. live.
  10. Web site: Krishnaraj.S.. CARNATIC MUSIC :: Prince Rama Varma : A legend in the Making. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160425080542/http://carnaticindia.com/ramavarma.html. 25 April 2016. 31 May 2017. www.carnaticindia.com.
  11. Web site: Doyen of Carnatic music Parassala B Ponnammal dies at 96 in Kerala. 22 June 2021 .
  12. News: Parassala B. Ponnammal passes away. R. K.. Roshni. The Hindu. 22 June 2021. https://archive.today/20210623113748/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/parassala-b-ponnammal-passes-away/article34913814.ece. 23 June 2021. 24 June 2021. live.
  13. Web site: 22 June 2021 . വിഖ്യാത കർണാടക സംഗീതജ്ഞ പാറശ്ശാല ബി. പൊന്നമ്മാൾ അന്തരിച്ചു . Carnatic musician Parassala B Ponnammal passed away . . ml . 24 June 2021 . 22 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210622125748/https://www.manoramaonline.com/news/latest-news/2021/06/22/carnatic-musician-parassala-b-ponnammal-passed-away.html . live .
  14. Web site: Jun 23, 2021. Carnatic music legend passes away . 23 June 2021. The Times of India. en. 23 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623120937/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/carnatic-music-legend-passes-away/articleshow/83759867.cms. live.
  15. Web site: Padma Awards. padmaawards.gov.in. 31 May 2017. 29 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170529041410/http://padmaawards.gov.in/Padma2017.aspx. live.
  16. Web site: Minister A K Balan Presenting M G Radhakrishnan Award To Musician Parassala B Ponnammal. World News. 13 June 2017. 11 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111110257/https://wn.com/minister_a_k_balan_presenting_m_g_radhakrishnan_award_to_musician_parassala_b_ponnammal. live.
  17. Web site: Honour for Parassala Ponnammal. article.wn.com. 31 May 2017. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201045508/https://article.wn.com/view/2015/03/23/Honour_for_Parassala_Ponnammal/. live.
  18. News: Honour for Parassala Ponnammal. The Times of India. 27 November 2017. 26 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170226185226/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Honour-for-Parassala-Ponnammal/articleshow/46660521.cms. live.
  19. News: Award for Ponnammal. The Hindu. 13 June 2017. 26 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200326173945/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/award-for-ponnammal/article4103748.ece. live.
  20. News: Awards for Vasudevan Potti, Parassala Ponnammal. The New Indian Express. 13 June 2017. 11 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111164927/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2009/feb/10/awards-for-vasudevan-potti-parassala-ponnammal-24740.html. live.
  21. News: Sangeet Natak Academy awards 2009. The Hindu. 13 June 2017. 26 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200326173949/https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/dance/Sangeet-Natak-Academy-awards-2009/article15789540.ece/photo/15/. live.
  22. Web site: Swati Puraskaram announced. article.wn.com. 13 June 2017. 21 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180521023257/https://article.wn.com/view/2010/01/12/Swati_Puraskaram_announced/. live.
  23. Web site: Sree Guruvayurappan Chembai Puraskaram for vocalist Parassala Ponnammal - Carnatic Music News - Darbar for claissical music / claissical dance. Adroit. www.carnaticdarbar.com. 13 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160910130434/http://carnaticdarbar.com/news/200902/20091031a.asp. 10 September 2016. dead.
  24. Web site: Classical Music. Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. 24 February 2023.
  25. Web site: Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Classical Music . Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala . 26 February 2023.

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