Vid. Smt Sudha Raghunathan
President
As a prominent vocalist in the carnatic musical tradition, Sudha Ragunathan’s voice enthralls listeners from around the world. Among the first in her generation to receive many prestigious awards including the Padmabhushan and the Sangita Kalanidhi, her mastery over vocal techniques and complicated styles makes her one of the most sought after artists. Her authentic renditions of ‘krithis’ and refined elaborations of ‘raagas’, the élan with which she breezes through the ‘kalpana swaras’, her command over the octaves and her supremely confident stage presence combined with unstated humility has given her an enviable pre-eminence in the world of carnatic music. Sudha has performed a range of concerts and festivals worldwide, and has released over 200 albums with leading recording companies like AVM, INRECO, Vani and Amutham. She is a top ranking artist for Prasar Bharati, All India Radio, and the Doordarshan, and was the auspicious voice at the first live broadcast at the National Program Series of concerts hosted in Chennai. Sudha also has the unique honor of rendering ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi on 27th January 2000 to mark the completion of 50 years of the free Indian Republic.