N. Lalitha Bhanu

N. Lalitha Bhanu
N. Lalitha Bhanu
	Carnatic vocalist
Background information
Birth name	Narayana Bhagavathar Lalitha
Born	19 August 1931; Thiruvananthapuram
Died	20 August 2020 (aged 89); Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Film music (playback singing), Indian classical music
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	Vocalist
Years active	1950–1997

Lalitha Bhanu was a Carnatic singer. She has also sung a few songs for Malayalam and Tamil films as a playback singer.^[1]

Early life

Lalitha was born at Trivandrum, Kerala, as the daughter of Narayana Bhagavathar and Parvathy ammal on 19 August 1931.
Her father, Narayana Bhagavathar was a violinist and one of the three Trivandrum Brothers. The brothers were Asthana Vidwans (in-house musicians) at the Royal Palace of Trivandrum. She learnt her initial lessons from K. R. Kumaraswamy. Afterwards she joined the Swati Tirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was the principal of this college. She received training directly from him. When the family moved from Trivandrum to Madras (now Chennai), Srinivasa Iyer directed her to Musiri Subramania Iyer. She learned many Kritis for about 8 years from Musiri Subramania Iyer. Musiri even made Lalitha sing all the varnams in his own style, thereby imbibing in her the “Musiri bhani”. She learnt many kritis from Papanasam Sivan,^[2]

Music career

Her first public concert was staged at Mavelikkara (Kerala). She was an artiste in All India Radio and sang for almost 50 years at various radio stations of the AIR including Pondichery and Chennai. She had performed at the Tyagaraja Aradhana.

Playback singer

Lalitha had sung in a few Malayalam and Tamil films as a playback singer. She began her film career with Ponkathir, a Malayalam language film released in 1953. The traditional song "Anjana Sreedhara" was a hit.^[3] When this film was made in Tamil with the title Irulukkuppin she sang for that too. She has sung under several music directors including Br Lakshmanan, V. Dakshinamoorthy, G. Ramanathan, Ghantasala, Pendyala Nageshwara Rao and C. N. Pandurangan.

List of film songs

Year	Film	Language	Song	Lyrics	Music	Co-Singers
1950	Ponmudi	Tamil	Vaanam Kumuruthamma		G. Ramanathan	U. R. Chandra
1950	Manthiri Kumari	Tamil	O Raja O Rani		G. Ramanathan	P. Leela & U. R. Chandra
1950	Chandrika	Tamil	Malar Ser Manimaalai	P. Bhaskaran	V. Dakshinamoorthy
1950	Chandrika	Malayalam	Choriyuka Madhumaari Nilaave	P. Bhaskaran	V. Dakshinamoorthy
1952	Amma	Tamil	Anaivarum Varuveer	Chidambaram Varadarajan	V. Dakshinamoorthy
1952	Amma	Tamil	Varuga Varuga Yen Sodharikarl	Chidambaram Varadarajan	V. Dakshinamoorthy
1952	Dharma Devatha	Telugu	Sukhamu Chilikinchu Aanandakiraname		C. R. Subburaman
1952	Dharma Devatha	Telugu	Chinduleyavoyi Chinna Krishnayya	Samudrala Sr.	C. R. Subburaman	B. N. Rao & Jikki
1952	Dharma Devathai	Tamil	Aananda Leelai Tharum	Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass	C. R. Subburaman
1952	Dharma Devathai	Tamil	Anbaai Odi Vaadaa	Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass	C. R. Subburaman	C. R. Subburaman & Jikki
1952	En Thangai	Tamil	Meelaa Thuyaraamo...Kangal Irandum	Narasimhan	C. N. Pandurangan
1952	En Thangai	Tamil	Naalukku Naal Paarkira Podhe	A. Maruthakasi	C. N. Pandurangan
1953	Petrathai	Tamil	Penmani Nalla Kanmani	M. S. Subramaniam	Pendyala Nageshwara Rao	Ghantasala
1953	Ponkathir	Malayalam	Anjana Sreedharaa	Traditional	Br Lakshmanan
			Aanandavaasam Amaravilaasam	Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair
			Pranayamohana Swapnam			Gokulapalan
			Sukhame Sukhame			Kamukara Purushothaman & Kaviyoor C. K. Revamma
			Paarirulmoodi Paathayaake
			Ullaasam Ulakellam			Mehboob & Kaviyoor C. K. Revamma
1954	Avakasi	Malayalam	Manoharamithaha	Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair	Br Lakshmanan
			En Jeevitha Sukhamaya			Kamukara Purushothaman
			Kaliyodamithil			Kamukara Purushothaman
			Vava En Deva			Kamukara Purushothaman
			Tharani Thanga Nilave
1954	Irulukkup Pin	Tamil	Anjana Sreedharaa	Nagai Mani	Br Lakshmanan
			Aananda Vasam Amara Vilasam
			Mathura Mohana Inba Ninaivaal			Kamukara Purushothaman
			Sugame Sugam Sorkka Sugame			Kamukara Purushothaman & Kaviyoor C. K. Revamma
			Kaarirul Moodi
			Ullasam Ulagellam Uyirum			Mehboob & Kaviyoor C. K. Revamma
			Paadu Mohanamai Padu
			Vandaadum Poovea Malarsolai
1954	Chandraharam	Tamil	Laali Jaya Laali	Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass	Ghantasala
1954	Chandraharam	Telugu	Laali Jaya Laali	Pingali Nagendra Rao	Ghantasala
1954	Avan Yaar	Tamil	En Jeevitha Sukam	Kambadasan	Br Lakshmanan	Kamukara Purushothaman
1954	Avan Yaar	Tamil	Manoharam Idhaahaa	Kambadasan	Br Lakshmanan
1954	Viduthalai	Tamil	Abalai Naan Thayanithiye	Velavan	Lakshman Raghunath
1952	Kalam Marunnu	Malayalam	Ohoy Thathinanthanam	O. N. V. Kurup	G. Devarajan & Br Lakshmanan	K. S. George, K. Sulochana, P. Leela & Lekshmi
1952	Kalam Marunnu	Malayalam	Ambili Muthachan	O. N. V. Kurup	G. Devarajan & Br Lakshmanan	P. Leela & Lekshmi
1955	Harishchandra	Malayalam	Kaattumulle Naanam Kaatteedalle	Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair	Br Lakshmanan	C. S. Radha Devi
1956	Avar Unarunnu	Malayalam	Paloli Poonila	Pala Narayanan Nair	V. Dakshinamoorthy	L. P. R. Varma
1956	Avar Unarunnu	Malayalam	Puthughivitha Ha Kamitam	Pala Narayanan Nair	V. Dakshinamoorthy	Kamukara Purushothaman

List of Carnatic songs

All these songs are available on YouTube.

No.	Kriti	Ragam	Composer
1	Elakudhaya	Sankarabharanam	Pallavi Duraiswami Iyer
2	Rama rama gunaseema	Simhendra madhyamam	Swathi Thirunal
3	Ma Janaki	Kambhoji	Saint Thyagaraja
4	Marivere Dikkevarayaa	Shanmugapriya	Patnam Subramanya Iyer
5	Namoralakimpavemi	Devagandhari	Saint Thyagaraja
6	Sarasijanapasodhari	Naagagandhari	Muthuswami Dikshithar
7	Kamajanaka	Gowlai	Swathi Thirunal
8	Parvatharajakumari	Sriranjani	Muthuswami Dikshithar
9	Jaya Jaya Raghurama	Sahana	Swathi Thirunal
10	Thaye Dayaipurivaye	Ranjani	Swarna Venkatesa Dikshithar
11	Smarajanaka	Behag	Swathi Thirunal

Titles and awards

Lalitha Bhanu was conferred with the title "Ganabooshanam" and was presented with a Tambura (with an emblem of Swathi Tirunal) by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.^[1]

Family life

Lalitha was married to Perumal Bhanu Bharadwaj. They had three children including two daughters and a son, Anand Bhanu Bharadwaj.

Death

She died on 20 August 2020 at Chennai.^[1]

Bibliography

List of Malayalam songs sung by Ganabhooshanam N. Lalitha

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Tribute to a veteran singer". The Hindu. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
^ "Of a different era". The Hindu. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. K. R. Kedarnath and T. M. Thiagarajan as well.
^ "List of Malayalam Songs sung by Ganabhooshanam N Lalitha". Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.

External links

Lalitha Bhanu Interview on YouTube - in Malayalam language Amrita TV
Anjana Sreedhara on YouTube - Her hit song from the film Ponkathir.
Lalitha Bhanu sings at 83 years of age on YouTube - Meenakshi Memudam in Poorvikalyani raga.
Carnatic concert on YouTube - (Duration 55:20) was probably performed sometime in the 1960s