Dr. Rajshri Ramakrishna is a musicologist, performer, and academic in Carnatic music, currently serving as Professor in the Department of Music at the Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur. With over three decades of experience, contributions span music education, research, performance, and academic administration.
Academic training includes BA and MA in Music from the University of Madras, followed by an MPhil on innovative models for music education in schools, and a PhD from Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal, focusing on a critical study of Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu. Advanced practical training was received in Carnatic vocal music under Padma Bhushan Sri P.S. Narayanaswamy and Sangita Kala Acharya Smt Suguna Varadachari, in Vina under Kalaimamani Smt Rajeswari Padmanabhan, and in Hindustani music under Pandit Krishnanand.
Formerly held key positions at the University of Madras, including Chairperson of the School of Fine and Performing Arts, Head of the Department of Indian Music, and Chairman of the Music and Dance Board of Studies. Research interests include musicology, rāga lakṣaṇa, notation systems, music education, and music therapy. Involvement in major funded projects supported by ICSSR and RUSA has focused on music and mental health.
A B-High grade artist of All India Radio, recipient of the Vainika Award and the Musicologist Award, and Erasmus Mobility Grant awardee. Publications in reputed journals and editorial leadership of the interdisciplinary journal Smṛti reflect sustained scholarly engagement.
Research Highlights :
Research work centres on Carnatic musicology, with a strong emphasis on historical sources, notation systems, rāga lakṣaṇa, and the interface between music, education, and well-being. Doctoral research on Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu offered a critical examination of one of the earliest printed musicological texts, analysing its documentation of compositions, notation practices, and its relationship to evolving performance traditions. This line of inquiry extends to a broader engagement with 19th- and early 20th-century Telugu music publications, contributing to the understanding of the codification and transmission of Carnatic music.
A significant area of research involves the study of rāga-s and musical forms, with particular attention to Ghana and Rakti rāga-s, varṇam-s, and kṛti structures across different historical periods. Several guided doctoral works have explored these themes, especially in relation to Saṅgīta Saṁpradāya Pradarśini and other canonical texts. Research has also examined developments in Carnatic notation systems and the role of print culture in shaping pedagogy and performance.
Interdisciplinary work in music therapy and music education forms another important strand. Participation in major funded projects, including those supported by ICSSR and RUSA, has focused on the impact of music interventions on emotional well-being among school children and working women, integrating practical approaches such as songwriting and group-based musical activities.
Archival and documentation initiatives include a major UGC-funded project on post-Trinity composers of the Tyāgarāja śiṣya parampara, as well as contributions to the All India Radio Folk Mega Project documenting Tamil folk songs with notation and translation. Publications in peer-reviewed journals reflect sustained engagement with both theoretical and applied dimensions of music research.
Recent Publications :
Deepa Iyer S and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “Textual Evidences of Early Music Therapy Practices in India”, Naad-Nartan Journal of Dance & Music, Vol. 13, Issue 1, January 2025
Lakshmipriya R and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “The Concept of Rakti in the rāga-s of South Indian Music” - Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts - Kalakalpa: IGNCA Journal of Arts Vol - IX, No. 2, Basant Panchami 2025 - ISSN 2456 - 8201
Lakshmipriya R and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “Rāga Lakṣaṇa of Dhanyāśi in Music Literature – An Overview,” Sangeet Galaxy, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January 2025.
Anuthama Murali and Rajshri Ramakrishna. “Ata-Tala Varna: Structure and Performance in Karnataka Music.” International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), vol. 13, no. 12, 2025, pp. c394–409
Anuthama Murali and Rajshri Ramakrishna. “Parimeḷaraṅga Pada - A Study.” Kalakalpa IGNCA, vol. X, No 1, no. Guru Purnima, 2025, pp. 39–50.
Anuthama Murali and Rajshri Ramakrishna. “Aṭa-Tāla - A Historic Study of Its Structure.” Sangitika, 2025, pp. 61–69.
Pranathi G and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “The Concept of Ghana Rāga-s in South Indian Music,” Kalākalpa (Journal of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts), Vol. 9, Issue 1, 2024.
Anuthama Murali and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “Musical Forms in Nirūpaṇa of King Serfōji II,” Kalākalpa, Vol. 8, Issue 2, 2024.
Deepa Iyer S and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “An Exploration of the Role of Music in Enhancing Educational Outcomes,” International Multidisciplinary E-Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 9, September 2024.
Anuthama Murali and Rajshri Ramakrishna. “The Study of a Pada Varṇa – ‘Entaninedelupudurā.’” Smṛti - A Bi-Annual Peer Reviewed Journal on Fine & Performing Arts, vol. IV, no. 2, 2024, pp. 1–9,
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Deepa Iyer S, “Music Therapy Research in India: A Review,” Smṛti, Vol. III, Issue 2, December 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishana and Anuthama Murali. “A Brief Study of Structure of Ādi Tāla Tāna Varṇam-s Composed in Different Time Periods.” Eduventure, vol. 16, no. July, 2023, pp. 121–29.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Deepa Iyer S, “Relevance of Music Therapy in Different Fields of Health and Wellness,” Eduventure, July 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Pranathi G, “Present Day Understanding of Ghana Rāga-s,” Eduventure, July 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Lakshmipriya R, “Recent Developments in Rāga Lakṣaṇa – With Special Reference to Rāga Asāvēri,” Eduventure, July 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Pranathi G, “Śrirāga – An Overview,” Smṛti, Vol. III, Issue 1, June 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Lakshmipriya R, “Rāga Lakṣaṇa of Kēdāragauḷa – An Overview,” Smṛti, Vol. III, Issue 1, June 2023.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Anuthama Murali. “Varṇam-s in Saṅgīta-Saṁpradāya-Pradarśini – With Special Reference to Varṇam-s Composed Prior to Music Trinity.” Traditions of Indian Classical Music and Dance Department of Music, University of Madras, 2022, pp. 30–41.
Murali, Anuthama. “A Study of Rāga-s in Varṇam-s in Saṅgīta-Saṁpradāya-Pradarśini – with Special Reference to Varṇam-s by Composers before Musical Trinity.” Smṛti - A Bi-Annual Peer Reviewed Journal on Fine & Performing Arts, vol. II, no. 2, 2022, pp. 1–12, https://smrti.omeka.net/items/show/42.
Pranathi G and Rajshri Ramakrishna, “A study of Rāga Varāḷi with special reference to Gīta-s seen in the early Telugu publications”, Anhad Lok, Vol. 14, 2021
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Anuthama Murali. “An Overview of Tāla in Musical Forms of Karnāṭaka Music – with Special Reference to Varṇam.” ANHAD-LOK, vol. Vol 14, 2021, pp. 71–81.
Rajshri Ramakrishna, Saṅgītānanda-ratnākaramu of Tenmaṭham Vēṅkaṭanarasimhā cāryulu and Tenmaṭham Vēṅkaṭavaradācāryulu (1917) – An Overview,” Journal of the Music Academy, Madras, 2020–2022.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Anuthama Murali. “Dakṣin Bhāratiya Śāstrīya Saṅgīt Me Pracalit Racnāyēn - Ēk Sārāñś.” ANHAD-LOK, vol. 13, 2021, pp. 13–15.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Anuthama Murali. “Structure of Musical Form Varnam in Karnataka Music - An Overview.” ANHAD-LOK, vol. 12, 2020, pp. 39–45.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Anuthama Murali, Sañcara-s in Kedaragaula – with special reference to Varṇam-s”, Alagappa University - Department of Fine Arts & Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, Performng arts and fine arts : Challenges and prospects today, March 2020.
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Brindha Manickavasakan, Alagappa University - Department of Fine Arts & Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, ISBN 9788193451007, Usage of Technology in Music Education, Feb 2020
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Brindha Manickavasakan, Nadamrutham - Department of Music, University of Kerala - published, but without ISBN or ISSN - A Comparative Study of Two Kaivāra Prabandha-s, Dec 2020
Rajshri Ramakrishna and Brindha Manickavasakan, Evolution of Textual and Performing Traditions - University of Madras - ISBN: 978-93-5361-204-7 - Navagraha Pāḍalgaḷ of K Poṉṉayyā Piḷḷai, Feb/Mar 21
