N. C. Vasanthakokilam

Nagapattinam Chandrashekharan Vasanthakokilam (1919 – 7 November 1951) was a Carnatic singer and actress. Her work included the performances of kritis by Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar and in the years after Indian independence, she helped popularise the famous mystic poet of Tamil Nadu, Kavi Yogi Maharishi Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati's songs. She died of tuberculosis in 1951.

Early life

NCV was born as Kamakshi in Irinjalakkuda, Cochin State of British India, the present Kerala. Her family then shifted to Nagapattinam, Madras Presidency (nowTamil Nadu). Her father, Chandrashekhara Iyer sent her under the tutelage of Nagapattinam 'Jalra' Gopala Iyer, an accompanist in Harikatha performances. In 1936, the family moved to Madras, where she started giving concerts. She won the first prize in vocal music at the Madras Music Academy annual conference of 1938, which was presided over by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and declared open by the Yuvaraja of Mysore.

Her Music

Her voice was described as being melodious with perfect intonation, sruti, emotion, and clear pronunciation of words. She was known for her skill in the rendering of higher octaves with ease. She was a regular performer of Tamil songs at the festivals of the Tamil Isai Sangam in Madras and Nellai Sangeetha Sabha in Thirunelveli.

She also performed for the Tyagaraja Aradhana each year between 1942 and 1951. NCV ranked among the top performers of the classical singer of that time and many records were released containing her classical and semi-classical songs. The famous Carnatic music vocalist Tiger Varadachariar had bestowed upon her the title "Madhurageetha Vani".

Some of her famous songs are:

yen paLLi koNdeer ayyaa thanthai thaai irundhaal umakkindha nitiraiyil vandhu nenjil idam mahalakshmi jaganmatha aanandha nadanam aadinAL aasai koNdEn vaNdE thithikkum senthamizhaal dEsaabhimaanam enum andha naaL ini varumO varuvaanO vanakkuyilE aadu raattE saarasa dala nayana indha varam tharuvaan needayarada

Film Songs

She also sang the following songs for the Tamil film industry, which became very popular. The Tamil film songs are : Year Film Song Music Production company 1940 Chandraguptha Chanakya Papanasam Sivan Trinity Theatres 1940 Venuganan 1. Punniya Dhinamindre Sri Kannan Pirandha Punniya Dhinam2. Eppo Varuvaaro Endhan Kali Theera3. Inbam Inbam Jagamengum G. Govindarajulu Naidu Jewel Pictures 1942 Gangavathar 1. Paanganacholai Alangkaaram2. Kalaivaani AruL Purivaai3. Aanandham ALavillaa Miga Anandham4. Idhuvenna Vedhanai5. Jaya Jaya Buvanapathe Paalaya Jaya Karunajalathe (See External links)6.Aanandha Maaya Vaanulagidhe7. Kaavin Manohara Kaatchiyin Maanbe Sundaram Sound Studios 1944 Haridas 1. Kadhiravan Udhayam Kandu KamalangaL Mugam Malarum2. Kannaa Vaa Mani Vannaa Vaa3. Enadhu Manam Thulli ViLayaadudhe4. Enadhu Uyir Naadhan Hrudhayam Nondhe Ennai Pirindhaan5. Thottadharkkellaam Thappedutthaal (with M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar) G. Ramanathan Royal Talkie Distributors 1946 Valmiki 1. Sundaraanandha Vaikundhaa Hare Mukundhaa2. Puvi Meedhu Thava Gnaniye Uyar Pugazh Mevum Periyor Thanpaal3. Poithavazhum Maayappuvi Vaazhvu Papanasam Sivan Central Studios 1947 Kundalakesi S. M. Subbaiah Naidu & G. Ramanathan KSS Pictures 1950 Krishna Vijayam 1. Navaneedha Kannane Radhaamoha2. Karunanidhe Maadhava Nithya Kalyaana Guna Maadhava3. Porumai Kadalaagiya Boomadhevi S. M. Subbaiah Naidu & C. S. Jayaraman Jupiter Pictures

pozhudhu pularnthadhu yAm seidha thavathAl kuzhalOsai kEtkudhammA gOplakrishnan thanthai thaai irundhaal umakkindha nitthiraiyil vandhu nenjil idam

Acting career

Besides being a singer par excellence, NCV acted in movies. She started with Chandraguptha Chanakya (1940) playing the role of the princess Chaaya directed by C. K. Saachi in 1940. Followed by Venuganan (1940), Gangavathar (1942), Haridas (1944), Valmiki (1946), Kundalakesi (1946) and Krishna Vijayam (1950). Today, not many of her Carnatic renditions are available as CDs or audio recordings and those which are available contain both cinema and Carnatic compositions, mostly from various concerts she had given in the past.

Personal life

Her personal life was an unhappy one. Her marriage had been a failure as her husband was not inclined to encourage her music pursuits. In later years, she found a life-partner in a lawyer turned film-maker, C. K. Sathasivan (known as C. K. Saachi) till her last days. She fell victim to a severe attack of tuberculosis, and died at the age of 32 on 7 November 1951, at her residence in Gopalapuram, a neighbourhood in present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu.