SMT. S.R. NAGARATHNA MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT

Smt. Nagarathna, wife of Sri. S. Ramaswamy, an officer in State Bank of Mysore, was an ideal house wife of traditional Indian type. Devoted to family and household activities, she found time to learn and sing a large number of rare keertanas, padams and devaranamas. She had a repertorie of songs for various domestic functions and was a much sought after and popular person in many social and religious events in familiy and friends circles. A good connoisseur of karnatic classical music, she was regularly attending concerts in Sree Ramaseva Mandali.

Her son Sri. S.R. Sitaram, a Mechanical Engineer, is an industrialist manufacturing Material Handling Systems. He is keenly interested in classical music and learnt under Smt. Lalgudi Rajalakshmi and has secured first rank in karnatic senior examination. He has given concerts over All India Radio, Bangalore and is currently learning Smt. Neela Ramgopal.
Sri. Sitaram and his wife Smt. S. Jayashri have created an endowment in the name of Smt. S.R. Nagarathna for a concert at the annual Music Festival of Sree Ramaseva Mandali.


SMT. S.R. LALITHA ASWATHNARAYANA MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT

Smt. Lalitha Aswathnarayana was attending annual Music Festival of Sree Ramaseva Mandali for a number of years. A great connoisseur of Karnatic music, she was taking very keen interest in propogation of music.

A well known educationist, Smt. Lalitha Aswathanarayana, was the Founder-Secretary of Gnana Mandira Trust and Sudarshan Vidya Mandir. Her keen interest and devotion was responsible in getting for the institution a fame as one of the best educational institutions in Karnataka.

An endowment has been created jointly by Sri. K.V. Aswathanarayana, Managing Trustee, Gnana Mandir Trust; Sri B.A. Shyam Sundar, Smt. Shaila Anand, Sri. Nandyal Anand and Kum. Hemaa Narayan. Principal, Sundarshan Vidya Mandir, Jayanagar, Bangalore, for arranging a concert every year in memory of Smt. Lalitha Aswathanarayanan during annual Music Festival of Sree Ramaseva Mandali.


SARASWATHI RAMACHANDRAN

Saraswathi Ramachandran (1933-2000) was one of those rare musicians who gave the music world more than she got. This versatile artist pursued a musical career spanning 5 decades, while serving as a Hindi teacher in Good Shepherd Convent. She sang on Bangalore Air from 1958 to her death in 2000. In the late 60s, she was part of the Sadguru Sangeetha Sabha, a unique group of eminent lady musicians who took thier songs across the country. Having trained in Madras Music College under stalwarts like Musiri Subramanya Iyer, T. Brinda and T.K. Govinda Rao, Saraswathi Ramachandran’s style was pure and her knowledge, deep. Her stronghold was neraval-swaram and a rock foundation in theory. Also giving Maths, Hindi and music lessons at home, battling chronic asthma and fending for herself as a spinster Saraswathi Ramachandran’s life was an inspiration to the lives she touched.

The Saraswathi Ramachandran endowment has been humbly instituted in her memory by her students whom she blessed with music and wisdom.