A distinguished name in Carnatic music, acclaimed musician Sudha Ragunathan is a happy woman these days as her daughter, Malavika, is all set to tie the knot with her sweetheart, an African American Christian named Michael Murphy, who is a Doctorate. Their wedding was given a double thumbs up by Sudha Ragunathan, who has since been busy with the marriage preparations as the grand wedding is set to take place in Chennai on July 11 in line with Tamil traditions.
Having said that, the news of Malavika and Michael Murphy’s wedding has sparked off intense debate on social networking forums with many not pleased with the union of a high caste Hindu family getting into an alliance with Christians. There are even a few who have been going to the extent of saying Sudha Ragunathan’s family has converted to Christianity and have been calling for banning her from performing in the ‘sabhas’ in Chennai during the Margazhi season this December. Despite the huge outcry, Sudha Ragunathan has also been receiving massive support from many liberals, who are lauding her and their family for not confining themselves to what many among them are calling is a backward mindset.
Recently, Sudha Ragunathan was bestowed with a unique honour when Louisville in Kentucky state, in the US, declared May 19 as Sudha Ragunathan Day for her service in the field of arts over the past four decades after which she went on to perform in a concert on the same day.
