The 10th Indira Sivasailam Endowment medal was bestowed upon leading Carnatic music exponent Dr. Pantula Rama at the annual Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert here recently. The Indira Sivasailam Foundation was instituted by Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman of TAFE, in memory of her mother Indira Sivasailam.

Three accompanying artistes, R. K. Shriramkumar (violin), J. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and . Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna (morsing) were awarded The Indira Sivasailam Foundation 10th Anniversary Special Award for their exceptional performance as accompanying artistes.

Dr. Pantula Rama, along with Shriramkumar, Vaidyanathan and Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna, later enthralled the audience with their musical performance at the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert held at and in collaboration with The Music Academy, Madras.

Shriramkumar belongs to a family of eminent Carnatic musicians. He was trained in vocal music and violin by his grandfather R. K. Venkatarama Shastry, a veteran violinist. He later learnt violin from V. V. Subrahmanyam and vocal music from D.K. Jayaraman.

Vaidyanathan hails from a family of great musicians. He is the son of D. K. Jayaraman and nephew of D. K. Pattammal. He is the disciple of T. K. Murthy.

Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna is one of the few women morsing artistes in India. She is the daughter of legendary morsing artiste Bheemachar. She is a Grade A artiste of the All India Radio. She has performed in over 1,000 concerts across the world.

The Indira Sivasailam Endowment medal aims to recognize the outstanding contribution made in the field of Carnatic music, thereby preserving and propagating the art form. The recipient of the award is selected on the basis of specific criteria as defined by the eminent jury at The Music Academy, Madras, and Mallika Srinivasan.

This year’s awardee, Dr. Pantula Rama has been selected for her unique style, distinctive for brilliant artistry, clarity of diction, an ever-fresh approach, demonstrated efforts to disseminate knowledge and the ability to bring about a greater and deeper public appreciation of Carnatic music.

N. Murali, President of The Music Academy, welcomed the gathering and spoke about the long-standing association between the Indira Sivasailam Foundation and The Music Academy.

Mallika Srinivasan felicitated Dr. Pantula Rama and said, “The Indira Sivasailam Foundation in its milestone 10th year takes pleasure in presenting its annual Endowment Award to Dr. Pantula Rama.

Knowledge, vidwat, bhava, bhakti and manodharma puts Pantula Rama right up there in the echelon of outstanding musicians of our times.''

Accepting the award, Dr. Pantula Rama said, “It’s a very special and significant occasion for me as it is a tribute, filled with valuable sentiments and aesthetic sensibilities, to a Sangeeta Rasaasvaadini Indira Sivasailam and also it reinforces the essence of my contribution to the world of Carnatic music.”