Vidushi Lalita Shivaram Ubhayaker
Late Smt. Lalita Ubhayaker is a well known Hindustani Classical vocalist from the Agra
Gharana. She belonged to a family distinguished for its
cultural accomplishments. She was the daughter of Smt. Paravati Bai Ullal and Shri
Sundar Rao Ullal. In the year 1946, she married Shri Shivaram Devarao Ubhayaker from the
distinguished family of Dharmaprakash Shri Devarao Shivaram Ubhayaker and
Smt. Shantabai Devarao Ubhayaker who were noted for their social, religious and
philanthropic activities.
She had her early training at home from her mother and was taught by Shri
Chidanand Nagarkar for a year. With assiduous and systematic training by Shri
Rama Rao Nayak, the masterly pupil of Ustad Ata Hussain Khan and Swamy
Vallabhadas, her innate musical talents blossomed into a shape resplendent with
colour and artistry. Constantly, she was a votary of the majestic Agra Gharana. She
had the good fortune of learning under the Dagar brothers, the late Ustad
Moinuddin Dagar and Ustad Aminuddin Dagar.
Smt. Lalita had a voice that was melodious and delicate, especially in the handling of
the subtle nuances, and in line with the traditions of the above School, her leanings
are naturally towards spacious and leisurely expositions of Ragas. With this
colourful backdrop, her acceleration into a faster tempo done with ease and
elegance stood in bold relief. Bhajans were her speciality, wherein she identified
herself with their spirit, moved with the moods of the melody and portrayed them
with warmth and feeling. Smt. Lalita had the distinction of being a member of the
Cultural Delegation that visited Russia and other Eastern European countries in
1954. As a regular participant in the programmes of All India Radio since 1951, she had
the distinction of having performed since 1968 in the National Programmes, Radio
Sangeet Sammelans and also in many important music festivals of the country.
Her concert tours included recitals in West Germany, Denmark, Holland, England,
France, Switzerland, Italy and U.S.A.
Apart from her musical background, Smt. Lalita Ubhayaker is well known for her philanthropic
activities. She was also the founder of Ashvasan,
a Bangalore based volunteer organisation to reach out to the aged and the lonely. She also
founded the Smriti-Nandan Cultural Centre,
a centre for the promotion of Art and Culture. The Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav
is conducted under the auspices of Smriti-Nandan.