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{{Short description|Indian Carnatic vocalist (1935–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Vidushi]]
| name = Neela Ramgopal
| native_name = நீலா ராம்கோபால்
| image = Neela Ramgopal interview.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Ramgopal in 2022
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1935|5|25}}
| birth_place = [[Kumbakonam]], [[Madras Presidency]], British India
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2023|3|1|1935|5|25}}
| death_place = [[Bengaluru]], Karnataka, India
| occupation = {{cslist|Singer|music teacher}}
| parents =
| spouse =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| background = solo singer
| genre = [[Carnatic music]]
| instrument = Vocals
| label =
| years_active = 1965–2023
}}
| website =
| awards = {{ubl|[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]|Sangita Kala Acharya}}
}}

'''Neela Ramgopal'''{{Efn|Ramgopal was also referred to as Vidushi Neela Ramgopal with honorific title [[Vidushi]] for [[Carnatic music]] scholars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2023 |title=Vidushi Neela Ramgopal passes away |url=https://starofmysore.com/vidushi-neela-ramgopal-passes-away/ |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=Star of Mysore |language=en-US}}</ref>}} (25 May 1935 – 1 March 2023) was an Indian [[Carnatic music|Carnatic vocalist]] and Carnatic music teacher. Some of her works included ''Tamizh Inbam'', ''Rama Upasana'' and ''Narayana Enniro''. She was a recipient of awards, including the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]], the Sangita Kala Acharya Award by [[Madras Music Academy]], and the Sangeetha Chudamani award from the Rama Seva Mandali.

==Biography==
Neela Ramgopal was born on 25 May 1935, in [[Kumbakonam]] in Tamil Nadu into a [[Brahmin]] [[Iyer]] family. Her father was a landlord. The family migrated back to their village in Tyagarajapuram where she went to school in [[Thiruvidaimarudur]].<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last1=Ganesh |first1=Deepa |title=In her own style… |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/in-her-own-style/article7282511.ece |work=The Hindu |date=4 June 2015 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref name="harmony" /> It was only at the age of 23, she started studying Carnatic music seriously.<ref name="silver"/> She started studying [[Carnatic music]] with lessons from Sadagopalachari in Kumbakonam and later under [[N. M. Narayanan]], [[T. K. Rangachary]] and [[M. L. Vasanthakumari]].<ref name="Deccan" /><ref name="sruti">{{cite web |title=Neela Ramgopal |url=https://www.sruti.com/index.php/artist/neela-ramgopal |website=The Sruti Foundation|date=May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Ramgopal taught students from 1965, the year her very first independent public concert came in.<ref name="silver">{{cite web |title=Neela Ramgopal: Music Should Touch The Heart – Silver Talkies |url=https://silvertalkies.com/neela-ramgopal-music-should-touch-the-heart/ |website=silvertalkies.com}}</ref> During this time she performed regularly as a radio artist with the [[All India Radio]] rising to be an "A Top" grade artist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TEEPOI |url=https://www.teepoi.com/visage-5-neela-ramgopal |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=www.teepoi.com |language=en}}</ref> She published a book of 50 Tamil compositions in Kannada script.<ref name="SMA"/> In addition, she also recorded audio CDs of krithis in all the 72 [[Melakarta|Melakartha Ragas]].<ref name="SMA"/> Some of her recorded albums included''Tamizh Inbam'', ''Rama Upasana'' and ''Narayana Enniro''.<ref name="harmony"/>

Ramgopal was noted to have trained over 700 students over her career.<ref name=":0" /> She was also noted to be an early adopter of technology offering her training lessons online.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 March 2023 |title=A paean to Neela Mami |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/right-in-the-middle/a-paean-to-neela-mami-1196330.html |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref> She received the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]], the Sangita Kala Acharya award from the [[Madras Music Academy]] and the Sangeetha Chudamani award from the Rama Seva Mandali.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2 March 2023 |title=Vidushi Neela Ramgopal passes away |url=https://starofmysore.com/vidushi-neela-ramgopal-passes-away/ |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=Star of Mysore |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Ramgopal moved to [[Bangalore]] in [[Karnataka]] after her wedding at 19, initially living in [[Basavanagudi]] before moving to [[Jayaprakash Nagar, Bangalore|J. P. Nagar]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Neela Ramgopal |url=https://www.teepoi.com/visage-5-neela-ramgopal#v5storyD |website=www.teepoi.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="silver"/> She had two children.<ref name="harmony" /> She was known to have been a polyglot with works in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada]], and [[English language|English]], and was referred to as Neela ''Maami'' by her students.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Ramgopal died on 1 March 2023 in Bangalore. She had been diagnosed with cancer earlier. She was aged 87.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1 March 2023 |title=Noted Carnatic vocalist and guru Neela Ramgopal passes away |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/noted-carnatic-vocalist-and-guru-neela-ramgopal-passes-away/article66569007.ece |access-date=5 March 2023 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Books==
*{{cite book |last1=Raghavan |first1=Harini |title=Neela Ramgopal – A Musical Journey |date=8 November 2015 |publisher=Nadasurabhi Cultural Association}}<ref name="harmony">{{cite web |title=A late bloomer « Harmony Magazine |url=https://www.harmonyindia.org/etcetera_posts/a-late-bloomer/}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
*[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] 2016<ref>{{cite web |title=President of India to confer tomorrow Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for 2016 |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1516849 |website=pib.gov.in}}</ref>
*Gurukripa Award 2017<ref name="SMA">{{cite web |title=Guru Kripa Awards |url=https://www.shankarmahadevanacademy.com/guru-kripa-awards/ |website=www.shankarmahadevanacademy.com |language=en}}</ref>
*Sangeetha Kala Acharya Award from the [[Madras Music Academy]] 2011<ref>{{cite web |title=Sangita Kala Acharya |url=https://musicacademymadras.in/awards/sangita-kala-acharya/ |publisher=Madras Music Academy}}</ref>
*Kanchana Shree title 2018 by the Kanchana Shree Lakshminarayana Music Academy Trust<ref name="Deccan">{{cite news |title=City music trust honours vocalist Neela Ramgopal |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-cityscape/city-music-trust-honours-vocalist-neela-ramgopal-702064.html |work=Deccan Herald |date=8 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
*Best performer award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai<ref name="sruti"/>
*Best performer award from Madras Music Academy<ref name="sruti"/>
*Gana Prakeerthi award from the Nagarkoil Trust<ref name="sruti"/>
*Sangeetha Kala Samragni award from the Ramakrishna Gaanasabha<ref name="sruti"/>
*Sangeetha Chudamani award from Rama Seva Mandali<ref name="sruti"/>
*Karnataka Kalasri award from the Karnataka state government Sangeetha Nrithya Academy<ref name="sruti"/>

== Notes ==

{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{YouTube|id=y71tBEGScL4|title=Eternal Raga – Story of Carnatic Singer Neela Ramgopal by Teepoi}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramgopal, Neela}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Women Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:Indian women classical singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Singers from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in India]]

Neela Ramgopal - Revision history

Mdraselsarker: Made new pg.