Folk Artists Rajalakshmi Jeganathan and Senthil Ganesan Chandhiran

Rajalakshmi Jeganathan and Senthil Ganesan Chandhiran are celebrity folk artists from Tamil Nadu, the southern most state in India.  The husband and wife couple have become household names among Tamils (those who speak the Indian language Tamil) across the world for bringing folk songs to their homes and cars all over the world through radio, TV, movies and social media.

Tamil folk songs, known for their cultural uniqueness, are sung in remote parts of India during births, weddings, deaths and daily routines portray the customs traditions, fairs, festivals, myths, mythology and ethnic heritage of the of different regions.  Most of these songs are not documented well and get passed on by word of mouth from generation to generations.  Rajalakshmi and Senthil have not only brought life back to this aspect of Indian folklore, but through their upbringing and formal training have created their own compositions.

Senthil Ganesan Chandhiran earned a Master of Fine Arts (graduate degree) and D.T.Ed. music teacher training certification from the reputed Tamil University in Thanjavur, India. With more than 20 years of experience in singing folksongs, Senthil has performed in more than 2,000 events in India, France, Canada and South Africa. He is the recipient of several awards including the “Title Winner” Award from the popular reality show “Super Singers” by Chennai (India) based Vijay TV, and the “Best Folk Artist” Award from Tamil Nadu Minorities Progression Movement.  Senthil encourages the next generation of folk artists by serving as a judge in school and college level competitions and by providing training sessions.  As a movie actor, he sings folklore songs in his own voice and has brought Tamil folklore to limelight in several other Indian languages. Senthil has organized his own Folk-Art Group comprising of 20 artists that displays India’s rich folklore to the urban public.

Rajalakshmi Jeganathan has earned B.A., M.A. and M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) degrees in Tamil. As a folk musician she has performed in more 2,000 events in India, Canada, France and South Africa, over the past 15 years.  Vijay TV “Super Singer” Award, Bharathi Yuva Kendra’s “Swami Vivekananda Award” are few of the many honors she has received for her contributions to Tamil folklore. As an author of two books on folklore and poetry, she participates as a judge in several university and college level contests on folklore. Rajalakshmi’s rural upbringing, formal education in literature and melodious voice have been her assets in displaying the cultural uniqueness of Tamil folk songs through radio, TV, movies and live folk music programs.