Pantula Rama | |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Carnatic Music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, Viola |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Charsur Digital Station |
| Website | www.pantularama.com [1] |
Pantula Rama is an Indian singer, instrumentalist, and author who performs Carnatic music. She has been performing since the age of 8. [2] [3] [4] Known as Andhra's Nightingale and Golden Voice, [5] Pantula Rama lives in Vishakhapatnam and is married to violinist MSN Murthy. [6]
Pantula Rama was born to parents who are musicians. Her father is a violinist, and her mother is a Veena player. Her father was her first music teacher. After finishing school, Rama obtained a seat in MBBS. Eventually, she earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in music from Andhra University. Her Ph.D. thesis at the same university was titled "A study of the shaping of an ideal musician through saadhana", and was published by Gyan Publishers. [4]
Rama has performed at various concerts and festivals.
In 2017, Rama started an initiative called PaRa to raise awareness of Carnatic music. PaRa means the supreme consciousness. Through this initiative, she collaborated with other artists to organize events. [10]
Aruna Chandaraju wrote: "The appeal of Dr Pantula Rama’s kutcheries is that the music is of a very high order. Her performances and work are known for chaste classicism, serenity, sobriety and technical perfection. Widely recognised as an outstanding vocalist of Carnatic music. Rama’s very melodious voice, effortless elucidation of ragas, her bhava-soaked rendition, technical skills, and immensely creative manodharma, taken along with a wide repertoire, endear her to rasikas." [4]
G Swaminathan reported: "Pantula Rama’s concerts always carry a gentle tone of authority coupled with melody." [3]
Venkatesan Srikanth wrote: "Rama strikes a perfect balance in her knowledge of theory and aesthetic in practice of music." [11]
Thyagaraja, also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today, the most popular being "Nagumomu". Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis, which are often sung in programs in his honour, and Utsava Sampradaya Krithis, which are often sung to accompany temple rituals.
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Damal Krishnaswamy Pattammal, popularly known as D. K. Pattammal or DKP, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer for film songs in Tamil. Pattammal, along with her contemporaries M. S. Subbulakshmi and M. L. Vasanthakumari, are popularly referred to as the female trinity of Carnatic Music. This trio initiated the entry of women into mainstream Carnatic Music. She has been appreciated all over the world by Carnatic music lovers.
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