M. L. Vasanthakumari

Born

1928-07-03

Died

1990-10-31

Birthplace

Madras, Madras Presidency, British India

Biography

Madras Lalitangi Vasanthakumari (popularly referred to as MLV) (3 July 1928 – 31 October 1990) was a Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. MLV and her contemporaries D. K. Pattammal and M. S. Subbulakshmi were popularly referred to as the "female trinity of Carnatic Music. A prime disciple of the G. N. Balasubramaniam, she was the youngest among the established musicians of that era, and was the youngest female awardee of the Sangita Kalanidhi award. As well as being a much sought-after playback singer for films, MLV popularised unfamiliar ragas and her Ragam Thanam Pallavis were considered cerebral. Additionally, she popularised the compositions of the Haridasas. Her most famous disciples include Srividya (her daughter), Sudha Raghunathan, Charumathi Ramachandran, A. Kanyakumari, V. Kaveri, Rose Muralikrishnan, Meena Subramanian and Yamuna Arumugam.