Legendary Carnatic musician Parassala B Ponnammal dies at 96

A doyen of Carnatic music, Parassala B Ponnammal was a musician who had broken gender stereotypes in classical music and became the first woman student to enrol in the historic Swathi Thirunal College of Music here during the 1940s.

Thiruvananthapuram: Legendary Carnatic musician and Padmashree awardee, Parassala B Ponnammal, who enthralled classical music lovers for the last eight decades through her incredible concerts, passed away at her home in Valiyasala here on Tuesday, family sources said. She was 96 and was suffering from age-related ailments for some time, they said. A doyen of Carnatic music, Ponnammal was a musician who had broken gender stereotypes in classical music and became the first woman student to enrol in the historic Swathi Thirunal College of Music here during the 1940s.