AlizaHyder840: Starting Bio - done

2025-12-17T17:31:25Z

Starting Bio - done

New page

{{Short description|Indian Carnatic musician (born 1939)}}
{{Given name hatnote|Ambika Devi|Palkulangara|lang=Malayali}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Palkulangara K. Ambika Devi
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_name = K. Ambika Devi
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1939|12|03}}
| birth_place = [[Travancore]], [[British India]]
| occupation = Singer
| father = K. N. Kesava Pillai
| mother = C. K. Karthayaini Amma
| spouse = Chennithala Krishnankutty Nair
| children = 4
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| background = solo singer
| genre = [[Carnatic music]]
| instrument = Vocals
| label =
}}
| website =
| years_active =
| awards = {{bullet list|[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] (1992)|[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] (2010)}}
}}
'''Palkulangara K. Ambika Devi''' is an Indian [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] singer and music teacher from Kerala. She won the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] 1992 and the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] for the year 2010, from the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]], Government of Kerala. She also won many other awards and honors including Best Musician Award (1973) and ''Sangeetha Kala Acharya'' title from the [[Madras Music Academy]], Chennai.

== Biography ==
K. Ambika Devi was born on December 3, 1939, in [[Thiruvananthapuram]], Kerala, to K. N. Kesava Pillai and C.K. Karthayaini Amma.<ref name="MMA">{{Cite web |title=Palkulangara K Ambika Devi |url=https://www.musicacademymadras.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sangita-Kala-Acharya-.pdf |website=musicacademymadras.in |publisher=[[Madras Music Academy]] |access-date=2025-08-20 |archive-date=2024-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004152618/https://www.musicacademymadras.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sangita-Kala-Acharya-.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Although her father, Kesava Pillai, who was the head accountant in the [[Travancore]] palace, and her other brothers were very strict, seeing her interest in music, everyone agreed to teach her music.<ref name="Kaumudi">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=പുരസ്‌കാര നിറവിൽ ശെമ്മാങ്കുടിയുടെ പ്രിയ ശിഷ്യ |url=https://keralakaumudi.com/news/news.php?id=1032156&u=local-news--thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=Keralakaumudi Daily |publisher=[[Kerala Kaumudi]] |language=ml}}</ref> Her mother Karthiyaniyamma was also a singer.<ref name="Kaumudi"/> She started studying classical music from the age of nine.<ref name="pressclub">{{cite news |title=പാൽക്കുളങ്ങര അംബികാദേവിക്ക് സംഗീതജ്ഞ പുരസ്കാരം |url=https://pressclubvartha.com/2023/06/20/palkulangara-ambikadevi-got-sangeethangna-award/ |work=Press Club Vartha |date=20 June 2023}}</ref>

She started her musical studies at a very young age and later joined the [[Swathi Thirunal College of Music]], Thiruvananthapuram for higher studies, from where she passed the Gana Bhushanam and Vidwan courses with first rank in 1959.<ref name="Mathrubhumi">{{Cite news |date=2013-08-04 |title=ശുദ്ധസംഗീതത്തിനൊരു ഫെലോഷിപ്പ്‌ - articles,features - Mathrubhumi Eves |url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/mb4eves/online/malayalam/kerala/women/articles/features-article-157400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222193026/https://archive.ph/20130804061635/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/mb4eves/online/malayalam/kerala/women/articles/features-article-157400 |archive-date=2025-02-22 |access-date=2025-08-20 |work=[[Mathrubhumi]] |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="MMA"/> When she passed seventh grade, it was her brother Sethuraman who took her to a music college.<ref name="Kaumudi"/> She studied music under the tutelage of eminent people like [[Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer]], C. S. Krishna Iyer, [[Parassala B. Ponnammal]], and Nellai T. V. Krishnamoorthy.<ref name="MMA"/>

=== Personal life ===
Ambika Devi married Chennithala Krishnankutty Nair, who was a professor of [[mridangam]] at the Swathi Thirunal Government Music College where she studied.<ref name="MMA"/> They have four children, Harikrishnan, Shyamakrishnan, Swathi Krishnan and Purandarakrishnan.<ref name="Kaumudi" /> Their son Harikrishnan R., a Carnatic violinist was also worked and retired as principal of the Swathi Thirunal College of Music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UR |first=Arya |date=2021-06-11 |title=A life dedicated to music |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2021/Jun/11/a-life-dedicated-to-music-2314436.html |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721003138/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2021/jun/11/a-life-dedicated-to-music-2314436.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another son Shyamakrishnan is a mridangam player.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2013 |title=അംബികാദേവി രാഗവിസ്മയം തീര്‍ത്തു |url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/2294564/2013-05-22/kerala |publisher=[[Mathrubhumi]] |access-date=2025-08-20 |archive-date=2013-08-04 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130804061525/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/2294564/2013-05-22/kerala |url-status=dead }}</ref>

She lives in her house 'Shaleenam' in Thycaude, Thiruvananthapuram.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" />

==Career==
Ambika Devi, who qualified from the College of Music, worked as a teacher in the same institution and retired from there in 1995, as the department head of music, after 32 years of service.<ref name="Kaumudi" /><ref name="MMA"/> She then served as a reader at [[Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit]] and as a visiting guest faculty in the music department of the [[University of Kerala]].<ref name="MMA"/> Vaiyankara Madhusudhanan, Mavelikkara Subramaniam, singer [[G. Venugopal]], Varkala C.S. Jayaram and many other are among her disciples.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" />

Ambika Devi also performed concerts while working as a music teacher. She is one of the prominent people who popularized [[Malayalam]] [[kirtans]] at a time when [[Sanskrit]] was prevalent in the Carnatic music scene.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" /> She used the works of [[Swathi Thirunal]] and others for this.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" />

Ambika Devi, who has performed at various venues across the country, is famous for her 'Kshetranjali' music program, which brings together prominent temples in Kerala.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" />

== Awards and honors ==
Ambika Devi, who won first place at the national level in a music competition conducted by [[All India Radio]], in 1958, is also the first [[Malayalis|Malayali]] to receive an award from the President of India.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" /> She received award from [[Dr. Rajendra Prasad]], first president of India.<ref name="Kaumudi" /> She won the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] in 1992.<ref name="Mathrubhumi" /> In 2012, she received the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] for the year 2010, the highest award of [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]], Government of Kerala.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2012-05-16 |title=Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi fellowships, awar |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2011/Feb/05/kerala-sangeeta-nataka-akademi-fellowships-awar-224913.html |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=2025-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531201316/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2011/Feb/05/kerala-sangeeta-nataka-akademi-fellowships-awar-224913.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, she received MS Subbulekshmi Award instituted by the Sree Krishna Natya Sangeetha Academy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Awards for Ambika Devi, Rajendran |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/awards-for-ambika-devi-rajendran-467194.html |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=News18 |language=en}}</ref> In 2021, she received the Sangeetha Prabhakara award.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-09-24 |title=Carnatic singer Ambika Devi honoured |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2021/Sep/24/carnatic-singer-ambika-devi-honoured-2362890.html |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> In 2025, she has been awarded the Srinatraja Sangeetha Sabha Award instituted by the Srinatraja Sangeetha Sabha.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=ശ്രീനടരാജ സംഗീതസഭ പുരസ്‌കാരം പാൽക്കുളങ്ങര കെ.അംബികാദേവിക്ക് |url=https://keralakaumudi.com/news/news.php?id=1521873&u=local-news--thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=Keralakaumudi Daily |language=ml}}</ref>

Ambika Devi received the Best Musician Award from the [[Madras Music Academy]] in 1973.<ref name="Kaumudi" /> In 2024, the Madras Music Academy conferred on her the title of Sangeetha Kala Acharya.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-01-01 |title=Sangita Kalanidhi conferred on Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/sangita-kalanidhi-conferred-on-carnatic-vocalist-bombay-jayashri-ramnath/article67696229.ece |access-date=2025-08-20 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=2024-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410102605/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/sangita-kalanidhi-conferred-on-carnatic-vocalist-bombay-jayashri-ramnath/article67696229.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

While speaking at a felicitation ceremony organized by the Vayalar Ramavarma Cultural Centre to honour Ambika Devi on World Music Day, Kerala state Food Minister [[G. R. Anil]] has said that Palkulangara Ambika Devi is a great musician who Kerala should respect.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-06-21 |title=പാൽക്കുളങ്ങര അംബികാദേവി കേരളം ആദരിക്കേണ്ട സംഗീതജ്ഞ- മന്ത്രി ജി.ആർ. അനിൽ. |url=https://santhigirinews.org/2023/06/21/231429/ |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=Santhigiri News |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambika Devi, Palkulangara}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:Women Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Indian women classical singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]

Palkulangara Ambika Devi - Revision history

AlizaHyder840: Starting Bio - done