Vidya Shankar (musician)

Vidya Shankar (28 December 1919—29 June 2010) was a distinguished Indian musicologist, educationist and vainika (veena musician).[3] She was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian award for practising artists.

Vidya Shankar
President Pratibha Patil awarding Vidya Shankar the 2007 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Carnatic Instrumental - Veena)
Background information
Born(1919-12-28)28 December 1919[1]
Madras, Madras Presidency, British India
(now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died29 June 2010(2010-06-29) (aged 90)[2]
Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India[2]
GenresCarnatic music

Career

As a child, Shankar was taught at home until high school. Proficient in mathematics, her favourite subject, she intended to pursue a degree in the field, but was overruled by her father, who felt it "too strenuous a subject in college for a girl. He made me take up music instead."[4] After completing a teacher's training course, she did however teach mathematics at Kala Nilayam, the Children's Garden School and at the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, later teaching Sanskrit and musicology at the Central College of Carnatic Music.[4]

Shankar received her early musical education under T. S. Sabesa Iyer, receiving her advanced training under Madras Sabapathi Iyer and musicologist T. L. Venkatarama Iyer. Owing to her proficiency in Sanskrit and English, she became an authority on the great Carnatic musician Shyama Shastri, publishing numerous articles and books. In 2007, she was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.[3]

Personal life

A member of the distinguished Chandrasekhar family of intellectuals, Shankar was a younger sister of physics Nobel laureate Subramanyam Chandrashekhar and the niece of physics Nobel laureate C. V. Raman.[3] She was married to V. S. Iyer, an executive with Parry & Co.[3] The couple had three sons, V. S. Shivakumar, V. S. Mahesh and Dr. V. S. Sundar, who survived her.[2]

Shankar died at her Mylapore residence in the morning of 29 June 2010, after a brief illness.[3]

References
  1. "TTK Memorial Award". The Journal of the Music Academy (Madras). 70: 40. 1999.
  2. "Veena Vidushi passes away". Mylapore Times. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  3. Krishnan, Lalithaa (1 July 2010). "Art and science converged here". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  4. "Vainika Vidya Shankar no more". The Hindu. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
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