Vaikom Vijayalakshmi

The gayatriveena is a rarely played stringed instrument, and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi performs on it. She is a playback singer from Kerala, born on 7 October 1981 in Vaikom, who later moved to Chennai. Her film singing began in 2013 with "Kaatte Kaatte" in Celluloid, a song that brought her a special mention at the Kerala State Film Awards. The same year she received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award for light music. "Ottakku Padunna" from Nadan came next, winning her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer, the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Malayalam and a Mirchi Music Award for upcoming female vocalist. "Kaikkottum" from Oru Vadakkan Selfie earned a Vanitha Film Award and a Filmfare nomination, and "Puthiya Uligai" from the Tamil film Yennamo Yedho a Vijay Award nomination. She has sung for Tamil and Telugu films as well. International Tamil University in the United States gave her an honorary D.Litt in 2017, and in 2022 she received the Kerala Sree, the state's third-highest civilian honour. "Angu Vaana Konile" from ARM won her the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer.