Y.G. Srimati

Y.G. Srimati was a musician, dancer and painter born in Mysore, India. From a very young age, she was trained in Indian classical music, dance and painting. Y.G. Srimati became a highly accomplished vocalist and performer of Carnatic music and became a participant of the Indian Independence Movement from Chennai. She was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and at rallies addressed by him she would perform devotional songs in various Indian languages. She dedicated her art work to nationalist themes, often painting figures from Hindu mythology, her style being influenced by Nandalal Bose of the Bengal School of Art and the frescoes of the Ellora and Ajanta Caves. Her talent was recognized in 1952 during her first solo exhibition at the Government Museum, Madras.