Lalitha Chandran was a renowned Indian singer known for her contributions to Carnatic music. |
She grew up in Bombay under her parents' care while her father served as an Electrical Engineer in the Western Railway. |
Despite initially wanting to become an English professor, Lalitha's interest in music was nurtured by her sister Saroja during her school years. |
In 1959, Lalitha was granted a scholarship from the Central College of Music in Madras and trained under the guidance of the college's principal, Musiri Subramania Iyer. |
Her husband, N. R. Chandran, is a Senior Advocate of the High Court and former Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, hailing from the Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu. |
Lalitha received professional singing instruction from renowned Carnatic musicians like H. A. S. Mani, Musiri Subramania Iyer, and T. K. Govinda Rao. |
In 1963, Lalitha and Saroja commenced their joint performances in various singing events and programs. |
They are popularly known as the 'Bombay Sisters'. |
Lalitha drew inspiration from prominent Carnatic vocalists such as M. S. Subbulakshmi, D. K. Pattammal, and M. L. Vasanthakumari. |
The 'Bombay Sisters' composed and released devotional songs in multiple languages including Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi. |
Lalitha and Saroja performed together in numerous concerts and cultural events across India and internationally. |
They provided their vocals for two Tamil films, "Arunagirinathar" (1964) and "Yar Jambulingam" (1972). |
Lalitha supported aspiring Carnatic singers through her foundation, Muktambaram Trust. |
She revealed that her favorite raga was Prati Madhyama raga. |
Lalitha's final resting place is the Besant Nagar Crematorium in Chennai, where she was cremated on February 1, 2023. |