Ponnammal broke the glass ceiling in music

Parassala Ponnammal, the Carnatic music stalwart who passed away recently, was the first woman to perform at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram

On reaching Thiruvananthapuram, 35 km from her small town of Parassala, the girl felt diffident about participating in the music competition. Yet, when her name was called, the 13-year-old sang nothing less than a weighty Navavarana composition by Muthuswami Dikshitar. As the jury gave B. Ponnammal the first prize, they wondered if Parassala had a Carnatic music culture. Eight decades later, when she was awarded the Padma Shri, Ponnammal recalled that path-breaking 1938 event. “I chose ‘Kamalambam Bhajare’ without knowing its significance,” she said. The teenager’s innocence worked to her benefit. When asked to present “something else” after the Kalyani raga piece, she rendered another heavy raga, Bhairavi. Sobriety remained the hallmark of Ponnammal’s music till her death last week at the age of 96. She never flaunted her scholarship during conversations and restraint marked her concerts.