It was a proud moment for Ethiraj College for Women when one of its distinguished alumnus and noted classical vocalist Sudha Raghunathan was felicitated at a function held on its campus on Saturday. Sudha has been nominated for the coveted Padma Bhushan award this year in recognition of her valuable contributions to carnatic music.
The event turned out to be a day with a bundle of surprises, with Sudha’s lecturers recalling some of the fond memories of the artiste’s college days.
Madurai TN Seshagopalan and Chitravina Ravikiran presided over the event. Calling her a multi-faceted personality, Seshagopalan said that a perfectionist, humble and dedicated musician like Sudha was deserving of the recognition.
Ravikiran referred to Sudha as an inspiration to the younger generation. “Sudha is one of the musicians who takes the greatness of the classical music far beyond the borders of the country,” he said.
Accepting the felicitations, Sudha, who was a student of Economics at the college, said that the felicitation had filled her with gratitude. “There are many who have made enormous sacrifices for me to reach this level. Gestures like these remind me of my responsibility, which is to live up to the expectations,” she said.
A Nirmala, principal of Ethiraj College for Women, and chairman VN Muralidaran were present on the occasion, among others.