The Founder: Hailing from the renowned family of Diwan Purniah, Smt Vatsala Rao had her formal education in Mount Carmel College and Maharani’s College in Bangalore, but her first love was music from a very young age. She learnt music under the tutelage of famous musician Sri R.R.Keshavamurthy and Vidushi Shakuntala Srinivasan. She founded Stuthivahini in the year 1983 and soon discovered many well wishers in Smt Usha Murthy, Nalini Nagaraj, Rama Lakshmana Rao, Parvathy Murthy, Nagamma Subbanna , Leela Jayaram and others. Over the past twenty five years, Smt Vatsala Rao has nurtured Stuthi Vahini and continues to guide this music group now comprising of more than two hundred members.

Smt Vatsala rao has won many awards and recognitions for her artistic pursuits as well as social concern. She was recognized as Bhagavatha Praveene by Veda Dharma Paripalana Sabha in 1990 and won the Aryabhata award for Bhaktigeethe in the year 2000. She has received trophies for Ikebana held at Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha . She was an artist of All India Radio during which period she penned plays in Kannada. Not only did she author many plays, she directed and acted in many of them. Smt Vatsala Rao is a founder member of MEWS and ‘Friends of Nimhans’ trust. For decades, She has been serving the mentally challenged children in Bala Manovikasa Kendra in Malleswaram. She has published two volumes of collections of devotional songs and has also composed music for the same. Many other musical compositions have been brought out as cassettes. These volumes are the guiding instruments for the Stuthi Vahini even today.

Smt Vatasala has immense support to her activities from her husband, Sri D.K.Rao, formerly a senior Manager of H.M.T. Their elder son, Sri Manjunath is a Stocks and Shares Consultant and the younger one, Dr Ananth a Professor at Austin university, USA.

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