Sudha Ragunathan

Sudha Raghunathan, born in 1957 in Chennai, is a Carnatic vocalist with a career that includes concert performance, teaching, composition, and playback singing. She trained initially with her mother, V. Choodamani, and later studied under Dr. M. L. Vasanthakumari for over a decade through a Government of India scholarship. Her training followed the gurukula system, involving concert participation, tanpura accompaniment, and learning through observation and memorization. She has held a regular presence at the Madras Music Season since 1990.

Sudha’s performance career includes concerts in India and abroad, such as appearances at the United Nations, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New York. She is the only Indian vocalist to have performed in the Global Vocal Meeting organized by Stimmen Voices International. Her work extends to playback singing in Tamil cinema and participation in world music and fusion projects.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several honors, including the Kalaimamani (1993), Sangeetha Choodamani (1997), Padma Shri (2004), Sangita Kalanidhi (2013), and Padma Bhushan (2015). She founded Sudhaarnava Academy for Musical Excellence in 2017, offering training, workshops, and lecture demonstrations. Her charitable organization, the Samudhaaya Foundation, established in 1999, has supported healthcare, disaster relief, and community development initiatives.

Sudha Raghunathan continues to appear in concerts, collaborate with artists across genres, and participate in educational and social initiatives connected to Indian classical music.