Singer with a Bronze Voice! The Most Distinctive and Resonant Voice of Tamil Cinema

The difference between 'Vengala Kuralon' Sirgazhi Govindarajan and the other great singers of Tamil Cinema is his formal education and training in music. He was a graduate of the Tamil Isai College and had graduated in the year 1949 with the degree 'Isaimani'. He also got the degree of Sangeetha Vidwan at gaduation. After completing his formal education in music he started his rigorous Gurukul training under the tutelage of his Guru Swaminatha Pillai. Before entering movies he had won several awards and medals as an extremely talented and trained exponent of Carnatic Music. Apart from having sung some of the most memorable and ever lasting songs of Tamil Cinema he had also acted in several films. He brought to life the image of Sage Agasthya in such a convincing manner in the movie Agathiyar that one tends to think of Sirgazhi Govindrajan at the mere mention of the Great Sage's name. Be it the soul-wrenching and haunting melody Ullathil Nalla Ullam from the movie Karnan or the divinely mythological Arupadai Veedu Konda from Kandan Karunai to the humorous and light hearted title song of the movie Kaadhalikka Neramillai, he rendered songs of varied genres with consummate ease. This song of his is from the movie Agathiyar played by Sirgazhi. Music by Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan and Lyrics by Ulundurpettai Shanmugam.

Street Singer to Singing Sensation and Super Star! The Golden Voice of Tamil Cinema

As a young girl K B Sundarambal was singing in the streets and on trains to earn what little she could to help her family and make ends meet, until she was discovered by a drama troupe owner and taken to the world of Singing and Stage acting. The rest as the clichéd saying goes, is history! She became a singing sensation and a super star on the stage. Her only voice training had been in the streets and on the train which helped her to become one of the greatest voices of the Tamil Stage and the Tamil Movie Industry. Her performance with S G Kittappa (her spouse) in Valli Thirumanam established her as the 'Queen of Indian Stage'. She entered the movie industry in 1935 and starred in several memorable films. Reportedly she was the first Cinema Artist to have commanded a price of Hundred Thousand Rupees for a single movie. Though she had played several characters which remain etched permanently in the minds of the audience it was her portrayal of Auvaiyaar in several movies that remains fresh and evergreen and cuts across audiences of several decades. Enjoy her distinctly divine voice in this song of hers from the movie Karaikal Ammaiyar.