16 Facts About Sumitra Guha

Vidushi Sumitra Guha is an Indian classical vocalist, known for her expertise in the Carnatic and Hindustani schools of classical music.

Sumitra Guha, nee Raju, was born in Andhra Pradesh to a locally known singer, Smt.

Sumitra Guha's sister is the noted Carnatic vocalist and exponent of the sankirtana of gospel of the 15th-century saint-composer, Annamacharya, Smt.

Sumitra Guha's father, having been transferred to Nepal, suggested that she join Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan.

Sumitra Guha carried on with her academic education, pursuing graduate studies in philosophy.

Sumitra Guha started learning Hindustani music in 1964 and continued her music studies under Pandit A Kanan and Vidushi Malabika Kanan of Kirana Gharana, and later received some guidance from Sushil Kumar Bose, a renowned exponent of music who learned under the tutelage of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana, all in the culturally enriching atmosphere of Calcutta.

Sumitra Guha continued her studies even after her marriage in a Bengali family at the age of 19, and in 1972, became a B-grade artist of the All India Radio.

Sumitra Guha is proficient in Carnatic and Hindustani schools of music and is the first Andhra woman to sing Hindustani music, but is more aligned to the latter with a known leaning towards the Kirana Gharana.

Sumitra Guha has painstakingly absorbed two substantially different traditions and has mastered the subtleties of the various genres associated with each tradition.

Sumitra Guha has recorded for the Sangeet Natak Akademi and others such as MMY Music Foundation and His Master's Voice.

Sumitra Guha has sung fusion music with renowned musicians from abroad.

Sumitra Guha's performance at the India Habitat Centre, Delhi, in tandem with the double Grammy Award winner, Robin Hogarth, based on Sant Kabir's music was a blend of Hindustani and African gospel music traditions.

Sumitra Guha has done a music series by name, Tribute to the Musical Saints of India, was performed at various concerts in India.

Sumitra Guha founded the Sumadhur School of Performing Arts which continues to teach music in the traditional gurukula style.

Sumitra Guha has received many awards and honors starting from the gold medals she received from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam at Tirupati and from the All India Vaggeykar Utsavams at Bhadrachalam in 1972.

Sumitra Guha was bestowed with a Sangeet Natak Akademi award by India's national level academy for performing arts in 2020.