Kurnool girl makes mark in Carnatic music with vocal and veena
Kurnool: A girl is making a mark in the world of Carnatic music with her talent in both vocal and veena, proving that age is no barrier to pursuing excellence in the classical arts.
Guntur Sri Havani, a Class X student, is steadily emerging as a promising young Carnatic vocalist and veena artiste through disciplined practice, expert guidance and performances on prestigious cultural platforms.
Born on July 15, 2011, in Kurnool, Havani is currently studying at Bhavan’s Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya in Hyderabad. Her father, Guntur Padmakar, is a software engineer, while her mother, Lakshmi Sravani, has encouraged her daughter to take up music out of a deep love for Indian culture and classical arts.
Despite the demands of academics, Havani has remained deeply committed to her musical journey, undergoing rigorous training in two demanding disciplines.
She is receiving vocal training from Shyamala Ravi and veena training from Krishna Kumari. She has also learnt laya under Kasturi Bhargav. Her artistic development has further benefited from the mentorship of noted musicians Ramana Balachandran and RK Sriram.
Her achievements include being conferred the prestigious ‘Sangeeta Bala Saraswathi’ title by the National Sanskrit University in Hyderabad in 2024.
She also received recognition in the Kalasagaram Vocal Competition and Navya Nataka Samithi Veena Competitions in 2024, followed by honours at the Sri Ragam Veena Competitions, Sarada Cultural Trust Vocal Competition and Navya Nataka Samithi competitions in 2025.
She has performed in the presence of the Sringeri and Kanchi Shankaracharyas and at cultural forums including Kshipra Ganapathi Temple in Hyderabad, a Tyagaraja Aradhanotsavam organised by Saptaswara, the SP Balasubramanyam Sangeeta Kalasala in Nellore and TGV Kalakshetram in Kurnool.
“For me, music is a journey of continuous learning. Every lesson, every performance and every opportunity to learn from a senior artiste helps me improve. I want to preserve the purity of our classical tradition while learning and growing as an artiste,” Havani said.
