- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:02 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Central government has conferred Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, on five eminent personalities this year. Among them is Prof. N Rajam, former head of the Faculty of Performing Arts at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
Born on April 8, 1938, in Chennai, N Rajam is a renowned Indian violinist and comes from a musical family.
She specialises in Hindustani classical music and served as a professor of music at BHU, later becoming the department head and dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts.
Prof Rajam was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2012, the highest honour conferred by India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.
In her family, her father, Vidwan A Narayana Iyer, was a renowned exponent of Carnatic music, while her brother, TN Krishnan, is also a noted violinist in the Carnatic style.
Rajam received her early training in Carnatic music under her father and also studied with Musiri Subramania Iyer.
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Before Padma Vibhushan, she has also received prestigious Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the Government of India.
Prof Rajam is married to TS Subramanian, a chartered accountant with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
Her mother-in-law, Padma Swaminathan, was a social activist and Carnatic music singer. Vani Jayaram, a renowned playback singer in South Indian cinema, is her sister-in-law.
Prof Rajam developed her singing style and performed on numerous stages around the world. She was a professor of music at the Faculty of Arts, BHU, for nearly 40 years, serving as the department's chairperson and dean.
She trained her daughter, Sangeeta Shankar, granddaughters, Ragini and Nandini Shankar, and nieces, Kala Ramnath, Pranav Kumar, Professor V Balaji (BHU), and Dr Satya Prakash Mohanty.
Prof. N Rajam's contributions to Indian music are invaluable, and her work has had a significant impact not only on music but also on education.