Parassala B. Ponnammal

Parassala B. Ponnammal
Ponnammal in 2017
Ponnammal in 2017
Background information
Born(1924-11-29)29 November 1924
Parassala, Travancore, British India
Died22 June 2021(2021-06-22) (aged 96)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
GenresIndian classical music
OccupationClassical vocalist
Parassala Ponnammal sings at the Doordarshan National Programme of Music in 2009. Avaneeswaram Vinu (violin), Erickavu N. Sunil (mridangam), Trikkakkara Y. N. Santharam (kanjira)

Parassala B. Ponnammal (29 November 1924 – 22 June 2021) was an Indian Carnatic musician from the south Indian state of Kerala. She was a classical carnatic vocalist in the lineage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and Papanasam Sivan. She was the first woman to perform at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram as a part of the Navaratri Celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

Ponnammal was a recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 2017. She was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship and the Kerala state government's Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram.