Lahari interviews Guru "Kalaimamani" Smt. S Rajeswari

A prolific solo artist, her genius in Vocal rendition earned her the [A-top] rank in the All India Radio. She touched the pinnacle surpassing all her contemporaries with her mastery over the art accompanied by her blemish-less voice. In the words of the legendary critic Mr. P.V Subramaniam (Subbudu) Rajeswari is “Parveen Sultana of South India”. There were also times when Subbudu remarked : ‘Today is Rajeswari day’, an approbation very few artists of the country have earned from this critic. Rajeswari is one of the rare artistes who has acquired proficiency in conducting Bharathanatyam recitals [Nattuvangam] while simultaneously accompanying the ace dancers on the vocal. She has disciples in India, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, U.S.A, Mauritius, South Africa, Sri Lanka and so on. Several CDs have been released by Smt. S. Rajeswari and the most notable and sterling contribution to the field of music being Basic Lessons in Carnatic Music & Carnatic Music Lessons produced by HMV in 13 volumes and also Slokas for children produced by Cosmic. Recipient of many awards and to name a few she has received the “Kalaimamani” award in the year 1984 from Dr MGR – the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the year 2012 and many more. Smt. S Rajeswari has completed 68 years of solid and unmatched contribution to the field of MUSIC and she owes all her knowledge and training to her revered gurus, Sri. Tanjore Balasubramanian, Sri. Ramnad Krishnan, Sri. Madurai N. Krishnan, Sri. S. Rajam and Sri. D.K. Jayaraman, who have been the pillars in moulding this monumental artiste. In addition, she has also learnt thevaram from Sri Dharmapuram P. Swaminathan. She retired as the Principal In Charge of Tamil Nadu Government Music College in 2005 and serves as the Advisor for Lahari, Singapore since 2014.