D. K. Pattammal

Damal Krishnaswamy Pattammal (19 March 1919 – 16 July 2009), popularly known as D. K. Pattammal or DKP, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer for film songs in Tamil. Pattammal, along with her contemporaries M. S. Subbulakshmi and M. L. Vasanthakumari, are popularly referred to as the female trinity of Carnatic Music. This trio initiated the entry of women into mainstream Carnatic Music. She has been appreciated all over the world by Carnatic music lovers.

Early life and background

Pattammal was born in an orthodox Brahmin family in Kancheepuram of Tamil Nadu, India. She was named as Alamelu, but fondly called "Patta" as a child prodigy. Her father, Damal Krishnaswamy Dikshithar, who was deeply interested in music, inspired her to learn Carnatic music. Her mother, Kanthimathi (Rajammal), although a talented singer herself, was not permitted to sing even for friends or relatives in line with strict orthodox tradition. Despite her orthodox background, Pattammal sang and showed considerable musical talent at an early age.

She received no formal gurukula training. As a child, Pattammal sat through the concerts, and on returning home, notated the kritis she heard, and key phrases of ragas. Her brothers D. K. Ranganathan, D. K. Nagarajan, and D. K. Jayaraman – later her vocal accompanists helped her in this task. She also sang simple devotional hymns and songs her father taught her. Later, she received tuition from an unnamed Telugu-speaking musician, whom she called "Telugu vadyar" or "Telugu teacher". He’d also offered to teach her Telugu and Sanskrit.

Musical Career

The musical career of D K Pattammal began at a very young age. When she was only eight years old, Pattammal received her first prize for singing Thyagaraja's Raksha Bettare krithi in Bhairavi. C Subramanya Pillai, most known as Naina Pillai, had conducted that competition. In fact, Naina Pillai was the source of Pattammal's early admirations and was a master in singing Thyagaraja's Krithis and the Kamalamba Navavarana Kritis by Muthuswami Dikshitar.

In 1929, when Pattammal was only ten years old, she appeared at her first radio performance for Madras Corporation Radio. Three years later, in 1932, she sang in her first public concert at the Madras Rasika Ranjani Sabha. Next year, Pattammal moved to Chennai with the aspiration to become a regular music concert performer. That very year she performed for the first time at the Mahila Samajam, alternatively known as the Egmore Ladies' Club, which had won her great acclaim. In 1939, Pattammal was married to R. Iswaran. She shot to stardom almost overnight. In fact, the musical career of D K Pattammal had a span of more than 65 years.

K. Pattammal was almost a moving encyclopedia in the world of Carnatic classical music. She was considered a maestro in the compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar and she rendered them a number of times in her own unparalleled style. Pattammal took lessons of the original renditions and authentic versions of the Muthuswami Dikshitar Krithis from Ambi Dikshithar, an ancestor of Muthuswami Dikshithar as well as an authority on Dikshithar's songs. In fact, it was D K Pattammal who gave Dikshitar's Krithis the immense popularity they enjoy nowadays, singing them several times right through her musical career, in different large and small concerts. Pattammal was also used to sing the Tiruppugazhs and Thevarams that she had learnt from Appadurai Achari. She was also quite familiar with the compositions of Papanasam Sivan, and she learnt them from the composer himself.

Awards, Title and Prizes

D. K. Pattammal has received a number of awards, prizes and titles throughout her long musical career. Naming all of them will be a big list so we are enlisting the most noteworthy ones:

• “Gana Saraswathi" Title (bestowed by the legendary musician Tiger Varadachariar)
• "Sangeetha Sagara Ratna" Title
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1961)
• Sangeetha Kalanidhi (1970) Awards is the highest accolade in Carnatic music.
• Padma Bhushan (1971) from the Government of India
• Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi (elected in 1992)[20]
• Padma Vibhushan (1998) is India's second-highest civilian honour.
• "Sangeeta Saraswathi" Award (2006)

Disciples

Pattammal’s style of singing attracted many students, foremost among them her younger brother D. K. Jayaraman, who sang with her in several concerts, and who himself received the Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1990. A few of her other popular students include her daughter-in-law Lalitha Sivakumar, Geetha Rajashekar, and her granddaughter Nithyasree Mahadevan.

Death

Pattammal died of natural causes in Chennai on July 16, 2009, at 1:30 pm. She is survived by I. Sivakumar and I. Lakshmankumar, as well as her grandchildren Rajguru, Gayathri, Nithyasree, and Charan. Her Husband, R. Iswaran died on 2 April 2010, aged 95.