Swathi Puraskaram for Ponnammal & D.Litt. for Umayalpuram

PARASSALA B. PONNAMMAL

Renowned Carnatic vocalist Parassala B. Ponnammal has been selected for the Swathi Puraskaram, 2009. This was announced by Minister for Culture M. A. Baby at a press meet at Trivandrum on Monday, 11th of January 2010. The award instituted by the government to honour her lifetime contributions carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, a plaque and a citation. Ms. Ponnammal was selected by a jury comprising K.M. Raghavan Nambiar, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Tripunithura Radhakrishnan, Sukumari Narendra Menon and Vanajam.

Ponnammal was born in 1924 in Parassala, initiated into music by Paramu Pillai bhagavathar. She was the first lady teacher and principal of the Swathi Thirunal Music Academy, Thiruvananthapuram and had earlier won 'Sangita Rathnam' and Chembai Memorial Music awards.

UMAYALPURAM K. SIVARAMAN

The University of Kerala presented the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) to mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and actor Mammootty at a special convocation held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, the 11th of January 2010. Governor R.S. Gavai, who is also the Chancellor of the university, conferred the degree after Vice-Chancellor A. Jayakrishnan read out a citation on each of the awardees.

Reading out the citation on Mr. Sivaraman, the Vice-Chancellor said the mridangam maestro’s talent and skills spanning Carnatic, Hindustani, jazz and fusion music had won him fame and recognition at the global level. His lecture demonstrations and papers on the traditional aspects of mridangam and new trends had helped to popularise the percussion instrument, he added.

Born on December 17, 1935 to Dr P. Kasiviswanatha Iyer and Smt Kamalambal in the city of Tanjore, Sivaraman learnt the divine art of Mridangam from four great masters, Sri Arupathi Natesa Iyer, Sri Tanjavoor Vaidyanatha Iyer, Sri Palghat Mani Iyer and Sri Kumbakonam Rangu Iyengar. His new techniques and Innovations coupled with Solo redentions and Jagalbandhi Programmes with his North Indian folks have made him an evergreen personality in the world of Art.