Gayatri Sankaran has been regarded as a prodigy who has exhibited astonishing talents in music right from her young age. She is a visually handicapped noted Carnatic musician. She was born to a mother who possessed the quality of a talented Carnatic Musician. The world of music has been explored to Gayatri Sankaran with the hands of her mother and later on by Allamaraju Someswara Rao. This child prodigy started rendering performances from the tender age of eight years. At very young age she bagged the honour of performing at all the highly esteemed sabhas of Andhra Pradesh. To name a few sabhas, Tamil Music Academy Tenali, Lectures Sath Sangam Warangal, Suriya Kala Mandir Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Nellore. She has also been honoured with Padma Shri for her exceptional contribution in the field of music.
Early Life of Gayatri Sankaran
After hearing the melody of this young artist, Smt. Rukmanidevi, a noted Carnatic musician was very much impressed by her and absorbed her in Kalakshetra for further grooming. Under the direct guidance of veterans like Pudukkodu, Sri S.Krishnamoorthy, Sri. M. D. Ramanathan and Sri Vairamangalam Lakshmi Narayanan, Gayatri Sankaran was moulded as a versatile musician. She obtained both Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma Courses from Kalashetra. Gayatri Sankaran imbibed a flair for the melody and rhythmic style of music of Padmasrhi Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman. The style of Padmasrhi Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman has been attributed with pristine purity, lucidity, superb clarity, melody. Gayatri Sankaran learnt all the aesthetic nuances of Carnatic music under the guidance of Padmasrhi Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman.
Career of Gayatri Sankaran
Gayatri Sankaran began her musical career in the year 1988 when she was selected as a staff Artist (`A` Grade Artist in Carnatic Music and `B` High in Light Music) in All India Radio, Chennai. From a tender age, she has been given performances in Doordarshan programmes. She has performed in all most all the music Sabhas all over India. To name a few, Karthik Fine Arts, Saraswathi, Suswara, Kapali Fine Arts, Academy of Indian Fine Arts and Music, Nungambakkam Fine Arts, Adilakshmi Arts Academy, Nadopasana, Indian Fine Arts, Gana Sudha, Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam, Vidhyatheertha Foundation, Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple, IIT Music Club, Irai Pani Maram, Nanganallur Sathguru Sangeetha Sabha, TTD, Chennai. Thiagaraj Sabha, AP, Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha Sabha, Trivandrum, Trichy Fine Arts, Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad, Sri Seetharama Bhaktha Samajam, Salaiyur. The Fine Arts Society, Mumbai, Shanmughananda Fine Arts, Mumbai, Gana Kala Nilayam, Mumbai, Naadalaya, Mumbai, National Centre for the performing Arts, Mumbai and Poona Sangeetha Sabha, Poona, Bhartia Vidya Bhavan, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple, Kalakrithi, Chennai, etc.
Gayatri Sankaran has also performed at many concerts for various festival programmes like Sri Ramanavami at Mayavaram, Salaiyur, Sri Anandha Vinayagar Temple, Sri Prasanna Kothandaswamy Baktha Jana Sangh, Sri Iyappa Mandali, Chennai and Sri Thiagaraja Aradhana Festival at Thiruvaiyaru etc. One noted rendering of Gayatri Sankaran took place at the music academy where she gave a distinguished music performance for the Dance Programme of the Clarke School for Deaf and Dumb Children. In that programme the performing children were ineffectual to hear her music as they were deaf and Gayatri Sankaran herself could not see them. The coordination came about as the children dance by following her lip movement and she sang following their footstep. This programme received a wave of applause through out.
Gayatri Sankaran as a Violinist
Apart from being a musician Gayatri Sankaran also possesses a keen interest in playing violin. She had her inductive training in violin under Sri. Pakkala Ramados and started playing the instrument as an accompanist with other musicians. She has also undergone training in Violin under Padmashri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. Acknowledging her talent she has been conferred by the Sur Singer Samsath, Mumbai, the title `Surmani` for her astonishing performance she rendered and for her moratoriums performances The Lionees of South Chennai awarded her the title `Isai Chudar`.
