Padmavathy Ananthagopalan

Padmavathy Ananthagopalan (born 12 July 1934) is a classical musician and veena maestro from India, in the Carnatic Music genre. She also plays the mridangam and the nadhaswaram. She has seven decades of experience in playing the veena.

She is known for her own unique "gayaki" style, and she has long been a major advocate for the guru-shishya (gurukula) tradition. She has been the guru for numerous artists like Jayanthi Kumaresh (veena) and Usha Rajagopalan (violin). She is also the founder of the Sri Satguru Sangita music school and has over 25 years of active teaching service through the institution.

Early days and personal life Padmavathy was initiated into music when she was five by her father Lalgudi Gopala Iyer. She learnt the nuances of playing the veena from him. Her first performance was at the age of twelve. Her ancestors are the direct disciples of one of the greatest composers of Carnatic Music, Saint Thyagaraja.

Padmavathy's spouse Ananthagopalan is also a veena and violin exponent. Ananthagopalan teaches playing these instruments to students. Her elder brother was the late violin maestro, vocalist and composer Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. Her younger sisters Lalgudi Rajalakshmi (Jayanthi Kumaresh's mother) and Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam are also violinists.

She has numerous international performances and tours to her credit. Since 1990 she has toured the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia and Singapore. In some of these tours she has been accompanied by Jayanthi Kumaresh.

She is currently focused on creating more talented veena artists and working towards greater acceptance of veena performances in sabhas (performance halls) that other musical instruments and vocal performances currently enjoy.

Books She authored and published two books Shadjam and Rishabam in collaboration with the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society for students of music. She has also authored a book for the beginners in Carnatic Music titled Abhyasa Manjari. Maalavika Sundar, an upcoming classical and light music singer, is her student for over 20 years. "Veena Thathwagnya" by the Veena Foundation (New Delhi) TTK award by Music Academy, Chennai in 2006 "Gaana Nidhi" award by Sri Jagadguru Veda Parayana Trust "Acharya Devo Bhava" - 80 birthday felicitations