Chithra Ramakrishnan was born to a family of musician who possesses a rich heritage of musical lineage. Since her childhood, she has a natural flair for dance and music. Acknowledging her talent her parents always stood as a support behind her. Chithra Ramakrishnan has been admitted to the renowned gurus in order to sharpen her talent in both Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music. But her induction to the musical career took place with the initiative of her mother Smt. Susila Seetharamn, a senior Carnatic vocalist. Chithra Ramakrishnan is also known for conducting interactive sessions and workshops for children to create interest and awareness about the rich cultural heritage of India.
Early Life of Chithra Ramakrishnan
Chithra Ramakrishnan received training under the legendary tutelage of Shri. Chalapuram Papa, one of the foremost disciples of Shri. Tiger Varadhacahrya. She also got trained under P. Vasudevan, (Senior All India Radio artist, Trichy) disciple of T. K. Rangachary. Afterwards she received training from Madhoor P. Balasubramanyam, a senior disciple of Shri. Kanchana Subbarathnam. Chithra Ramakrishnan has also bagged the opportunity to go through training under celebrated musician and musicologist Dr. Prof. Shri. T. V. Gopalakrishnan. Apart from cultural arena Chithra also has a good academic background. She holds an MBA degree in Marketing and Finance and also in Human Resources. She also has a doctorate in management.
Career of Chithra Ramakrishnan as a Singer
Throughout her professional career Chithra Ramakrishnan has executed in an extensive manner in India, Middle East and in the United Kingdom. As a youth artist she has also featured in South Indian premier television channels and also performed in the All India Radio, Mangalore. In the recent years she has also been on a regular basis performing during the Madras Music season. She has also earned critical acclaim on several occasions. In the year 2009 she also debuted in Tamil playback singing, an arena in which she was introduced by the acclaimed director Sri Devi Sri Prasad. She has also lent her voice for several tracks composed by a few music directors of Tamil film industry.
Career of Chithra Ramakrishnan as a Dancer
Apart from being an accomplished singer, Chithra Ramakrishnan also possesses substantial expertise in the field of dancing. She has received the training of Vazhuvoor style under the tutelage of Kalaimamani Mrs. Malathi Dominic, Chennai. She rendered her debut performance `Arangetram` in the year 1983 under the sponsorship of Bharatha Natyalaya and Trichy Fine Arts. She also received the award of Natya Bhooshan. She has delivered a number of dance performances in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Other Ventures of Chithra Ramakrishnan
In addition to rendering vocal and dance performances all over India she also works as a freelance artist for art organizations in UK. She comprehensively works for Kalasangam, Bradford, West Yorkshire under the guidance of her guru and mentor Dr. Geetha Upadhyaya, Artistic director of Kalasangam. She has contributed much for the propagation of the rich art of south India at global level, for which she got associated with an artist led non-profit organization called Shruthi UK, based in Birmingham. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London; a member of the National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA), London; member of the Royal Music Association, London; member of the British forum of Ethnomusicology and an associate member of the British Association For Music Therapy, London.
