CHENNAI, December 21: The Mylapore Fine Arts Club, which has been playing host to some outstanding programmes by highly learned and respected musicians, recently conferred senior vocalist Sudha Ragunathan the prestigious title Sangeetha Kala Nipuna.

The award-giving function was held on the evening of December 13. It began with a prayer song by Deepika, Sudha Ragunathan’s disciple. The Sabha Secretary, Mr. Venkatraman, welcomed the gathering and introduced the guests of honour - Mr. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; Mr. Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetty, industrialist; Mr. A. Natarajan, former Director of Door Darshan Kendra; and Mr. Cleveland Sundaram, entrepreneur and the brain behind Cleveland Thygaraja Utsavam.

Notable amongst the audience were Mr. L. Sabaretnam, Mr. V.P. Dhananjayan, Mr. Narasimhachari and Smt. Vasanthalakshmi (Kuchipudi exponents), Mr. N. Murali (Sri Krishna Sweets) and Smt. Manimekalai (litterateur).

In his speech, Mr. Vanavarayar spoke on the recent terror attacks in Mumbai and the role of every citizen, steeped in value and culture. He said divine intervention alone could give us respite and salvation from such dastardly acts. In this context, he said musicians played the healer, as they wielded their magic wands and mesmerized the afflicted with the divine power of music.

In her award-acceptance speech, Sudha Ragunathan dedicated her accolades and awards at the feet of her guru late M.L.Vasanthakumari. She also read out a ‘kavithai’, which was well received by the audience. She also shared her moments of pride with her rasikas, whom she viewed as extended family. She thanked them for supporting her through thick and thin. She recalled her concerts at The Mylapore Fine Arts Club and the encouragement given to her in the early days of her career.

The event also saw the grand release of Sudha’s musical DVD, VCD and audio titled Sukha Bhaavam, released by Amutham Music.