Sivasakthy Sivanesan

🪔 About

Sivasakthy Sivanesan, a distinguished figure in Indian classical arts, was a Carnatic vocalist, vainika (veena player), and music teacher, also proficient in Bharatanatyam. Born in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, on February 21, 1957, into a musical family, her artistic journey began at the tender age of five with training in music and dance. Her first guru was the renowned composer, choreographer, and dancer, Yazhpanam N. Veeramani Iyer. She performed her Bharatanatyam arangetram in Jaffna at the age of thirteen, with S. Balachander as the chief guest. Sivanesan continued her musical education at the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts, where she graduated with a Sangeetha Ratnam diploma at just fifteen. Her proficiency extended to Carnatic vocal music, the veena, and Bharatanatyam. In 1972, she moved to Chennai to pursue advanced training in music at the Carnatic Music College. There, she had the privilege of learning from eminent musicians including D.K. Jayaraman, Prof. S. Ramanathan, R. Vedavalli, K.V. Narayanaswamy, T.M. Tyagarajan, B. Rajam Iyer, Sandhyavandanam Srinivasarao, and Tiruppamburam Shanmugasundaram. Additionally, she received specialized training in nattuvangam from the esteemed natyacharya Adyar K. Lakshman in Chennai. Later in her career, Sivasakthy Sivanesan became a well-known Carnatic vocalist, vainika, and music teacher with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London. Her significant contributions to Indian arts and music were recognized in 2015 when she was honored with the Sangeet Acharya Ratna Award at the National Indian Arts Awards, hosted by Milapfest at the Nehru Centre in London. Sivasakthy Sivanesan passed away on October 31, 2021. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Acharya Ratna Award (2015).