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Carnatic vocalist T Muktha dead

March 12, 2007 17:50 IST

Legendary Carnatic vocalist T Muktha, who enthralled audiences along with her sister T Brinda for decades, died in Chennai on Sunday after a brief illness.

She was 92 and is survived by a daughter, family sources said.

A contemporary to legends like the late M S Subbulakshmi and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muktha was the granddaughter of Dhanammal, a great veena player of her times.

Born in August 1914, Muktha had her initial training from her mother Kamakshmi Ammal and later under Kancheepuram Naayana Pillai, a well known Carnatic musician.

She was instrumental in popularising the kritis of Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the trinities of Carnatic music, the other two being Thiagaraja and Shyma Shastri.

A strict disciplinarian, she always insisted on perfection from her disciples, one of whom is S Sowmiya, a leading Carnatic vocalist.

Muktha and her sister started giving concerts from the age of eight.

She had bagged many prestigious awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi award.

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