Dr. 'Padma Shri' Gayatri Sankaran, is a distinguished 'A' Grade Carnatic Music vocalist of the All India Radio (AIR) and the first visually-challenged musician to receive the prestigious Padma Shri, from the President of India. Her life and musical career is a heart-wrenching and equally inspiring saga of determination, discipline and dedication to her cause. Here, we outline her musical tutelage, career, awards, accomplishments and her personal life.

Gayatri has had a unique and a multi-dimensional musical career. Firstly, she is an artist who has performed in over 500 concerts all over India and abroad.

Gayatri has been formally employed by the All India Radio since 1988 where she joined as an instrumentalist. Here she does administrative work, gives concerts and also special musical features such as Saivism in India, explaining the Divyadesam through music, etc.

A few of her notable concerts have been:

• Rashtrapathi Bhavan Concert in front of former President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007.
• 100th Nadaniranjanam program in 2009, the festival in Tirupati in front of Perumal Sannidhi.
• Program in front of Perumal Sannidhi at the Chembai Festival, Guruvayur in 2010.
• Cleveland Music Festival.
• Concert on Manodharma Sangeetam at the London Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

In addition she has had overseas performances in London, Canada, USA and in several other countries.

A TEACHER
Her role as a teacher and friend to over 70 students of Carnatic music in India and abroad is another dimension in her career. She conducts classes at home and long-distance classes over internet and phone. As a teacher, she is known for the patient and compassionate manner in which she helps her students find their passion.

HER MUSICAL TUTELAGE
Gayatri's musical tutelage includes the remarkable combination of learning both the rendition and theory of music. She is a renowned vocalist, accomplished violinist and a PhD in Music from the Madras University.

Her musical learning can be divided into three distinct phases:
She began her tutelage at the age of 3 under her mother, Smt. Subbulakshmi Gurunathan, who was herself a vocalist of the AIR. She fondly recalls how her mother would sing repeatedly to her and Gayatri developed an acute sense of "Kezhvi Gnanam" that has served her throughout her life. After the passing away of her mother when she was only six years old, Gayatri continued learning until the age of 12 at her hometown in Samalkot (in Andhra Pradesh) under the famous vocalist Allamaraju Someswara Rao. Her grandmother would take notes in the bi-weekly classes. Gayatri gave her first concert at the age of 11 to mark her arrival into the Carnatic Music arena.

The second phase of her musical learning was between ages 13 and 19 and happened at Kalakshetra in Chennai. She made a conscious move to Chennai and was instantly admitted into Kalakshetra after Rukmani Devi Arundale heard her sing and recognized the immense talent in this young artist. During her six years at Kalakshetra, she learnt vocal music under Pudukkodu Krishnamurthy and Vairamangalam S Lakshminarayanan (both "A" grade artists of AIR Chennai). She learnt violin under Pakkala Ramdas, (an accomplished "A" grade artist of AIR Chennai and a disciple of Shri Lalagudi G Jayaraman). During this time, Gayatri completed her Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Music and also learnt Braille.

The third phase was a turning point when she was accepted by the legend Padma Bhushan Shri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman as a student in 1998. She remembers that day of 25th January 1998 with great nostalgia. She says that here is where her musical understanding and performance truly blossomed for she learnt swara gnanam, manodharma sangeetham, the depths of our limitless musical tradition and also the nuances of being a performing artist. Understandably, Gayatri's music today carries the rich flavour of the unique Lalguid baani. She recalls the intensity of those four years of sadhana when she would practice 4-5 hours a day and also attend 3-4 classes a week. From 2008 onwards she enriched her repertoire under the vidwan, Padma Bhushan Dr. K.J. Yesudas.

During this time, she also completed her PhD in Music in 2011, at Madras University, under the supervision of Dr. M. Pramila, who guided her thesis on the 'Stylistic Analysis of Kalidaikurichi Vedanta Bhagavatar'.

WORKSHOPS AND OTHER SPECIAL PROGRAMMES
At Music Academy, Chennai, she gave a unique music performance for the dance programme of the Clarke School for Deaf and Dumb School. The performing children could not hear her music but followed her lip movemment and she could not see them, but had to follow them by the sound of their footsteps. But the coordination was so good that everyone applauded, including the then Governor of TamilNadu.

Several workshops and lecture demonstrations, in India and abroad, are also part of her extensive musical work.

• Workshop on the History & Development of Ancient Tamil Music from Sangam Period to 12th century, at the Chembur Fine Arts.
• At the Fine Arts, Mumbai, a two-day workshop on " Ancient Tamil Music, Musicology and Carnatic Music".
• Workshop on "Manodharma Sangeetham" at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London.
  
• Lecture on "Ancient Tamil Music" at Tamil Isai Kala Mandram, Canada.
• Development of Music and Musicology from 13th century to date
• Development of Tamil Music in Canada.
• Music Notation in Braille - An attempt to help the visually-challenged learn music

A DEDICATED SOCIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Last but not the least, Gayatri is a sensitive social contributor. She is the first person to have created Carnatic Music notations in Braille. She undertook this project under the guidance of the Ministry of Social Justice and her work will serve as a permanent reference for the visually-challenged who wish to learn music. She also trains and counsels visually-challenged students in schools.