Bombay Jayashri, who received the Padma Shri in 2021, is a:

Explanation

Bombay Jayashri Ramnath is one of the leading Carnatic vocalists of India. She is also known for her film songs and for her Oscar-nominated song "Pi's Lullaby". She received the Padma Shri in 2021.

Bombay Jayashri was born into a family of musicians and grew up in Mumbai (then Bombay), which is how she got her name. She learnt Carnatic music first from her parents and later from the great violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman, under whom she trained for many years. She also learnt Hindustani music. She became known for her calm, soulful voice and her deep, meditative style of singing. She has performed in concerts across India and the world. She has also sung for films, especially Tamil films, and her songs such as "Vaseegara" (from "Minnale", 2001) became very popular.

In 2013, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Pi's Lullaby", which she wrote and sang in Tamil for the film "Life of Pi" (2012), directed by Ang Lee. The film's music was composed by Mychael Danna. She was also selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi, the highest honour of the Madras Music Academy. She has worked with children with autism through music.

Carnatic music is the classical music of South India. Its central form is the kriti, a composed song, and the great composers of the 18th-19th centuries, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, are known as the Trinity of Carnatic Music. Other famous Carnatic vocalists include M.S. Subbulakshmi, D.K. Pattammal, M.L. Vasanthakumari, M. Balamuralikrishna, T.M. Krishna, Sudha Ragunathan and Aruna Sairam.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kathak dancer: famous Kathak dancers include Birju Maharaj.
• ✗Sitar player: famous sitar players include Ravi Shankar.
• ✗Hindustani tabla player: famous tabla players include Zakir Hussain.