Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan

Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan is a Tamil folk singer and composer and a renowned exponent of Tamil folk art. Together with her husband M. Navaneethakrishnan, she has conducted several years of research and study on Tamil folk music and dances and devoted a lifetime to research, collection, revival, and documentation of ancient Tamil folk songs and dances, many of which are fast becoming obsolete. The Government of India has announced Padma Shri, the nation's fourth highest civilian award, for the year 2018 to the singer for her extraordinary contribution in her field.