Sudha Ragunathan | |
|---|---|
 Ragunathan at Music Academy,Chennai | |
| Born | (1957-04-30)30 April 1957 (age 68) Madras (present-day Chennai),Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | Ethiraj College for Women (PG inEconomics) |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Honours |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals,veena |
| Website | www |
Musical artist | |
Sudha Ragunathan is an IndianCarnatic vocalist, singer and composer. She was conferred theKalaimamani award by theGovernment of Tamil Nadu in 1994,Padma Shri (2004) andPadma Bhushan (2015) by theGovernment of India, andSangeetha Kalanidhi by Madras Music Academy in 2013.[1][2]
Sudha Ragunathan (née Sudha Venkatraman) was born in Chennai on 30 April 1957 and later shifted to Bangalore.[3] She did her schooling inGood Shepherd Convent, Chennai. She studied atEthiraj College, and obtained a postgraduate degree in economics.[4]
Sudha Ragunathan received her initial training in Carnatic music from her mother V. Choodamani. From the age of three, she began to learnbhajans, Hindu devotional songs. Her tutelage continued under B. V. Lakshman. In 1977, she received an Indian government scholarship to study music under a doyenne of Carnatic music,Dr. M.L Vasantha Kumari, whose student she remained for thirteen years.[5]
Trained under Dr. ML Vasanthakumari in the gurukula style, it involved considerable amounts of listening to the teacher and other practitioners to absorb their style and oeuvre. Part of her duties involved the accompaniment on thetanpura of her teacher during concerts,[6] and also accompanying her during concerts.[3][5] In her own words,[7] "A period of 13 years from 1977 to 1990, a phase of complete absorption and internalisation! There was no teaching in a formal atmosphere. We learnt while being with her during thekatcheris (concerts). We would record her singing in our minds and then replay it while learning the intricacies. It was a very challenging and different experience and as I had begun learning very early from her, my mind was like a sponge and absorbed whatever I heard".
As of January 2015, she was preparing to debut inKollywood as a music director with the upcoming Tamil filmThanneer, based on a novel published in 2009 byAshokamitran.[8]
Ragunathan has performed at theMadras Music Season every year since 1990, the year in which her guru Dr. ML Vasanthakumari died.[9] She is considered one of India's leading Carnatic performers.[10] In 2013 she was awarded theSangita Kalanidhi of theMadras Music Academy.[4] She was awarded thePadma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, in January 2015.
On 2 October 2016, the United Nations released a stamp to honour India's Carnatic music artist Bharat Ratna Dr.M S Subbulakshmi. This stamp was presented to Raghunathan to honour her performance at the United Nations on 2 October 2016.[11]
In August 2025, in an interview withThe Hindu, she credited Chennai and its unique Margazhi season for anchoring her art, describing the city as one of “soul and substance” where tradition meets modernity.[12]
Ragunathan has performed and collaborated with other artists all over the world. She has performed at the United Nations[13] and theThéâtre de la Ville, Paris. She performed at theAlice Tully Hall,Lincoln Centre, at New York Broadway to commemorate 50 years of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. She is the only Indian vocalist to have participated in the Global Vocal Meeting organized by the Burghof, an Academy of Music and Arts at Lorrach, Germany and produced by Stimmen Voices International Vocal Festival.
Ragunathan has also performed as a playback singer inTamil cinema.[14] She got her first break as a playback singer underIllayaraja in the movieIvan, performing the song "Enna Enna Sethai". Besides the Carnatic repertoire, Raghunathan has also explored the world music scene, in particular fusion music.[15]
Following Carnatic musicians, Ragunathan has also taught the tradition to her students.[16] She launched her own school, Sudhaarnava Academy for Musical Excellence, on the day of Vijayadashami in 2017. The school has a faculty of her students along with Ragunathan herself and has conducted lec demonstrations and workshops in many venues across the globe.
She is married and has two children.
Ragunathan is known for her charitable works, and launched the Samudhaaya Foundation in 1999, of which she is the founder and managing trustee. The foundation has assisted the underprivileged in the areas of child healthcare, infrastructural aid for homes, and heart surgeries for children.[3] The foundation has raised funds for victims of theGujarat earthquake andcyclone relief in Orissa.[15]
| Year | Movie | Song | Co-artists | Composer | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ivan | "Ennai Yenna Seithai Vengulalae" | Ilaiyaraaja | Tamil | |
| "Enakkinai Yaar" | Tamil | ||||
| "Kannan Nee En" | Tamil | ||||
| 2004 | Morning Raga | "Thaye Yashoda" | Ranjani Ramakrishnan | Amit Heri | English |
| 2006 | Ilakkanam | "Masilla Maniye" | Shweta Mohan, Rajalakshmi, Subiksha | Bhavatharini | Tamil |
| 2007 | Satham Podathey | "Kadhal Periyadha" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | Tamil | |
| 2007 | Thavam | "Kannadasa Kannadasa" (Mix) | Mahalakshmi Iyer | D. Imman | Tamil |
| 2008 | Uliyin Osai | "Abhinayam Kaatugindra" | Bombay Jayashri | Ilaiyaraaja | Tamil |
| Vaaranam Aayiram | "Annal Mele Panithuli" | Harris Jayaraj | Tamil | ||
| Surya S/O Krishnan | "Nidhare Kala"(D) | Telugu | |||
| 2009 | Aadhavan | "Yeno Yeno Panithuli" | Shail Hada,Andrea Jeremiah | Harris Jayaraj | Tamil |
| 2010 | Mandhira Punnagai | "Enna Kuraiyo" | Vidyasagar | Tamil | |
| 2011 | Narthagi | "Vaan Mazhaiyin Thuligal" | P. Unnikrishnan | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Tamil |
| 2012 | 18 Vayasu | "Unnai Onru" | Sriram Parthasarathy | Charles Bosco | Tamil |
| 2013 | Endrendrum Punnagai | "Kadal Naan Thaan" | MK Balaji,Suzanne D'Mello | Harris Jayaraj | Tamil |
| 2018 | Sketch | "Dhaadikaara" | Thaman S,Andrea Jeremiah | Thaman S | Tamil |
| 2019 | Kaalidas | "Mazhai" | Vishal Chandrasekhar | Tamil | |
| 2021 | Navarasa | "Kannunjal" | Justin Prabhakaran | Tamil | |
| 2024 | Boat | "Soka Naanum Nikkiren" | Ghibran Vaibodha | Tamil |
| Year | Song | Album | Music | Co-singers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Koniyada tharame"[17] | Thrahimam 2 | Pranam Kamlakar | Roopa Revathi |
| "Sannuthinthumo Prabho"[17] | Thrahimam 2 | Pranam Kamlakar |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
| Other | |
