Ranganayaki Jayaraman

🪔 About

Ranganayaki Jayaraman, a distinguished figure in Indian classical dance, was born on September 19, 1935, in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. She received her foundational training in Bharatanatyam under Smt. K. Lalitha at the renowned Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam in Chennai. Her comprehensive artistic education also included music training under Professor P. Sambamoorthy at the Government College of Music, Chennai. Further expanding her musical prowess, she learned veena and harmonium from K. Lalitha, nattuvangam and mridangam from her father, Madurai Krishna Iyengar, and violin from Sri Seetharama Iyer. Jayaraman performed her arangetram at the tender age of eleven. A versatile artist, she specialized in both the Thanjavur and Pandanallur styles of Bharatanatyam, earning acclaim as a performer, teacher, and Nattuvannar, a conductor of dance performances. She took over the directorship of Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam in Chennai in 1992, succeeding her guru K. Lalitha. Under her leadership, the institution continued to flourish, focusing primarily on Bharatanatyam, with many of its alumni establishing their own dance schools globally. Jayaraman was particularly celebrated for her innovative group choreographies and dynamic nattuvangam. Her notable group productions include "Lalitha Prabhavam," "Deiveega Vahanangal," "Shakthi Prabhavam," "Navarasa Nayaki," and "Bhakthiyin Shakthi." Beyond dance, she was proficient in Carnatic vocal music, veena, flute, harmonium, and mridangam. She was a graded veena artist for All India Radio and composed popular veena ensembles such as 'Pancha Tala Priya Malika' and 'Pancha Raga Oudava Malika' for Doordarshan TV. With a teaching career spanning over seven decades, she also imparted knowledge at the Music Academy, Chennai. Ranganayaki Jayaraman, also a talented Harikatha exponent with over a hundred performances, toured extensively across India, Singapore, and the USA. She passed away on December 1, 2021, in Chennai. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2015), Kalaimamani (1995), Nrithya Ratnakara (2013), Natya Kalanidhi (2012), Nritya Ratna (2011), Bheeshma Award (2010), Nrithya Kala Nipuna (2009), Natya Darshan (2006), Acharya Kala Bharathi (2007), Mahathana Penmani (2018), Natiya Thendral (2016), Natana Rasa Mamani (2014), Lifetime Achievement Award (2013), Acharya Deepam (2013), Nritya Kovida (2012).