Sumitra Jayaseelan has bagged Cultural Ambassador Award

Sumitra Jayaseelan has bagged Cultural Ambassador Award

• August 19, 2021

Born in 1979, Sumitra Jayaseelan is the second of three sisters born to Mr &MrsJayaseelan in Selangor, Malaysia. 

From a young age, she has been immersed in cultural activities comprising Indian Carnatic music and the learning of Vedic subject matters. She was trained in Carnatic music by the Late Srimathi Vijayalakshmi Kulaveerasingamin Kuala Lumpur. 

In 2003, she co-founded Sugam Culture and Heritage Foundation (SCH) aimed at societal transformation through arts and culture, along with her two sisters. The Foundation is the umbrella organization of two teaching schools - Sugam Karnatica and Sugam Sam's kharaa. Sugam Karnatica was set up for the purpose of disseminating Carnatic art forms to young people in Malaysia, while SugamSamskhaaraa was established to provide education in cultural values to the young of the Hindu community. 

The sisters were the vocalists for the groundbreaking fusion devotional album ‘Tulasi’ in 1999, which remains a bestseller to this day. Other albums by the sisters include Vrnda (2007), Deiveega Ragam (2014) and Nadaraja Patthu (2015). They are also famed for recording a song with the legendary Padmashri Hariharan for his album“Just in Love” in 2013. In November 2012, their album ‘Vrnda’ was awarded the ‘Best Vocal Group’ by the US Global Music Awards. 

Under Sugam Karnatica, besides teaching Carnatic vocals, Sumitra is also the lead for the Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP to Ragas), a contemporary Carnatic fusion choir put together in 2016 by Sugam Karnatica. The choir specialises in combining western elements of music into their predominant Indian Carnatic music background, resulting in a fresh and captivating genre of music. In 2019, the team won the bronze award at the Kuala Lumpur International Choir Competition (KLICC). 

Further to that, in 2010, Sumitra founded the “Zizu” programme under the auspices of Sugam Karnatica, to provide a channel for toddlers and young children below the age of six to indulge in the world of Carnatic music. 

Under Sugam Samskhaaraa, she has been the President of the organization since2010. The main programme of Sugam Samskhaaraa is the weekly SugamVedicSchool which guides children on the core values of Vedic life and inculcates good moral values as well as teaches them about the various aspects of Vedic culture. 

Besides the above, Sumitra is also the Communications Director of the Sugam group and has contributed numerous articles for a magazine, “Petals” in 2013, asa columnist under the title “Culture & Gender issues”. She has also written a module on “Values” for the “Footprints” programme under the Vijayaratnam Foundation, Malaysia. 

Sumitra holds an International Masters in Regional Integration from the Asia-Europe Institute of University Malaya and a Bachelors of Engineering (CAD/CAM), also from University of Malaya. 

She has been serving the Malaysian government as an Administrative & Diplomatic officer since 2005. 

Sumitra is married to Venu Ramadass and has three daughters aged 15, 13 and 11. 

“It is a great honour for me to receive the ‘Cultural Ambassador Award’ for the Women Icon Awards 2021 powered by Times Women. My desire to serve the community is further inflamed and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve in my own way.”