Mrs YGP death: ‘Rajamma’ always encouraged talent, musicians say

CHENNAI: Classical music community on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of educationist Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy.
Mrs YGP, as she was popularly referred to, had made the cultivation of artistic talent a big part of her vision for the Padma Seshadri group of schools, and also gone on to felicitate alumni and artists who had created a name for themselves in the arts.
“Rajamma was such a legend and giant. She was very close, almost family, to me. From their very inception, my musical and educational careers have been backed by her encouragement and support. What she is to Chennai is irreplaceable,” says city musician Anil Srinivasan.
Adding that Mrs YGP was a votary of all the things that the country stood for, senior musician Aruna Sairam said, “Mrs YGP was a legend in the field of education, culture, literature and tradition. She had a great knack for identifying and supporting talent, excellence and perseverance among artists. I personally have been fortunate to be blessed and felicitated by her on many occasions.”
Emphasising on Mrs YGP’s work on imparting holistic education, vocalist Sudha Raghunathan said, "What she brought about was a renaissance in the way education must be given. Her students have gone on to become great artists and achievers and that is what finally matters. She was also someone who proved that age is just a biological number, as she went on to study even much later in life. Most of all, she never missed an opportunity to personally congratulate us artists for our achievements."