Kodumadi Balambal Sundarambal
(1908-1980) was a renowned stage artist and singer
of South India. She was popularly referred to as the
"Queen of the Indian stage.".
She was noted both for her resonant, vibrant voice
and for the dignity of her performances. A political
activist during the Indian independence movement,
K.B. Sundarambal was the first film personality to
enter a state legislature in India.
Early years
K.B. Sundarambal was born on October 11, 1908 in
the village of Kodumudi (also spelled "Kodumadi"),
on the banks of the
Kaveri, about 35 km from the town of Erode in
present-day Tamil Nadu. Little is known of
Sundarambal's father; her mother, Balambal, barely
managed to eke out a living. Indeed, so penurious
was the family that Sundarambal, as a child, is said
to have made some much-needed money by singing
ditties on trains and receiving tips from the
passengers.
Stage debut
Such was Sundarambal's training in music.
According to some sources,
it was while singing thus on a train that the
10-year-old Sundarambal attracted the attention of
Natesa Iyer, an amateur stage actor, producer and
talent-scout. According to other sources
it was a police official named Krishnaswamy Iyer, an
acquaintance of Balambal, who discovered the talent
in Sundarambal and introduced the 10-year-old girl
to P. S. Velu Nair, one of the reigning dramatists
of that era.
In either case, Sundarambal is believed to have
made her debut in 1917, on the Tamil stage, as a
member of a travelling theatre troupe. This was the
turning point in her life. The talented young girl
honed her voice while performing small roles on
stage and keeping audiences entertained between
acts. Soon enough, she was essaying leading roles on
stage. Her early stage plays like "Valli
Thirumanam," "Pavalakodi" and "Harishchandra"
proved to be great hits. In particular, "Valli
Thirumanam", where she co-starred with S.G.
Kittappa, was a phenomenal success.
Marriage
While working together in the theatre,
Sundarambal and S.G. Kittappa fell in love. They
were married in 1927. For the next few years,
Sundarambal lived a life that was both personally
and professionally satisfying. The couple became
cult figures with theatre aficionados.
Unfortunately, the phase came to a sudden end with
the untimely death of S.G. Kittappa in 1932.
Sundarambal left the stage sometime after this
happened, preferring to pursue a career as a concert
artiste.
Filmography
A celebrated theatre personality and an
accomplished concert artiste, Sundarambal was to
find success in films as well. Although she accepted
only a few film offers, they have proved to be
landmarks. Her performance as
Avvaiyyar, the Tamil poet-saint, was so
convincing that she has become almost synonymous
with the legendary personality. "Nandanar" and "Avvaiyar,"
in both of which she played Avvaiyar, were runaway
hits. Her other great successes were in "Manimekhalai,"
"Thiruvilayadal," "Karaikal Ammaiyar" and "Kandan
Karunai." Singularly lacking in oomph, Sundarambal's
golden voice and the devotional fervour of her
singing was what set the box offices afire.
Political activism
Sundarambal and her husband S.G. Kittappa had
been much affected by the Indian independence
movement and had became ardent supporters of the
Indian National Congress. They had harnessed their
popularity and talents to further that cause.
Sundarambal continued to champion the movement,
recording several gramophone discs extolling the
struggle and sacrifices it entailed. She also made
it a point to always wear khadi.
She often
actively campaigned in support of Congress
part candidates at various elections.
After India gained independence, K.B. Sundarambal
entered the Legislative Council of Madras State in
1951 as a Congress nominee, the first film artist to
enter an Indian legislature.
Honours
In 1964, the Tamil Isai Sangam conferred upon her
the title of "Tamil Isai Perarignar." In
1970, the government of India awarded her the
Padmashri for her contributions to the arts. K.B.
Sundarambal, artiste extraordinaire, died in October
1980.
