Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer Biography 
Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer was a Carnatic vocalist and the youngest recipient of Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947. He was a doyen of Carnatic music from Tamil Nadu and has received many honours including - Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Academy award and Sangeet Natak Academy fellowship. He has also received Isai Perarignar from Government of Tamil Nadu and Kalidas Samman from Government of Madhya Pradesh. He was fondly called Semmangudi Mama by his disciples. He is also considered the "Pitamaha" of modern Carnatic music.
Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer was born on July 25, 1908 in Tirukkodikaval of Thanjavur district. He was born to Radhakrishna Iyer and Dharmasamvardhini Ammal. Until the age of four, he stayed with his uncle and after his death, returned to parents. He started learning music from his cousin Semmangudi Narayanaswamy Iyer at the age of 8. He has also learnt from Thiruvadaimaruthur Sakharama Rao and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer also. He performed live for the first time in 1926 in Kumbakonam. A concert in the Madras session of Indian National Congress the following year proved to be the turning point of his career.
Impressed by his talents, Maharani Sethu Parvati Bai of Travancore invited him to Travancore in 1934 to edit and popularise the compositions of Swati Tirunal. Later he became the Principal of the Swathi Thirunal College of Music at Thiruvananthapuram. When he retired aged 55, he completed 23 years in this profession. His choice of songs, speed in rendering swarams and his virtuosity as a concert performer made him a popular artist among Carnatic music fans. He was married to Thayyu ammal at a younger age and she was his true inspiration too. Their children are Swaminathan, Gopalaswamy, Radhakrishnan, Shantha and Dharma. His prominent disciples include Sangeetha Kalanidhis, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Radha Viswanathan, Prof. T. N. Krishnan and T. M. Thyagarajan.
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Updated: January 07, 2014
