Born on 25 May 1935in Madras to Rukmini and T.V. Krishnaswami Iyer, Smt Neela Ramgopal had her training in music under N.M. Narayanan, the well-known music critic of The Hindu and T.K Rangachary. She then embarked on a career as a vocalist and gave performances all over India and several places in abroad. Her performing career spanned six decades.

An A’ Top’ artiste of the All India Radio, she conducted numerous workshops and training programmes over the media, at educational institutions and other forums. Known for her extensive repertoire of songs acquired from authentic sources, she imparted her knowledge to several students and was a much sought-after guru, especially in Bangalore which had been her home for several years. Her teaching emphasised on correctness in rendition, an uncompromising quest for perfection, and adherence to tradition. The Music Academy, Madras conferred on her the title of Sangita Kala Acharya in 2011. We salute this great artiste who was known as much for her friendly and affable disposition as she was for her art.