Born to a prominent politician father and housewife mother in Sri Lanka in 1930, Sathyalingam Suntharalingam is celebrated for his contribution as co-founder of Apsaras Arts in Singapore. A purist at heart when it comes to classical art forms, he has brought Apsaras Arts to international arts festivals in Singapore, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and United States. Sathyalingam died in 2011 at the age of 81, but his legacy and love for the arts lives on through his children—daughter Mohana sings for Apsaras Arts’ performances, while another daughter, Nandana, runs a similarly-named arts academy in Australia—and his wife—respected classical Indian dancer and co-founder of Apsaras Arts, Neila Sathyalingam.

A former medical student, Sathyalingam Suntharalingam was born to an outspoken and prominent politician father in Sri Lanka in 1930. Midway through his studies, Sathyalingam decided to give up his respectable, medical pathway to pursue one in music instead. He received training from various eminent gurus, and went on to obtain his music qualifications at Kalakshetra—a cultural academy in Madras (now Chennai). It was there that Sathyalingam met his wife-to-be, Neila, who was his one-time student. Two years of courtship later, the couple married in 1956.

While Sathyalingam pursued his artistic passions, he held a job as an area sales manager with a multinational firm. In 1974, his destiny beckoned, and he was posted to Singapore by his company. While in Singapore, Sathyalingam saw the lack of a diverse art scene and decided to set up an arts academy with his wife. In 1977, they founded Apsaras Arts, and the academy began its life with a class of 20 students at the Cairnhill Community Centre.

Apsaras Arts grew to be a full-fledged company and Sathyalingam became its music director. Under the guidance of Sathyalingam and his wife, Apsaras Arts became a significant contributor to the arts in Singapore, training amateurs into professional artists in their own right, and providing opportunities for international performances. Sathyalingam was a strict, rigorous teacher who was known as a perfectionist by his family and students, and was tireless in presenting the best he could on stage.

While wife Neila found inspiration in the various cultural traditions that permeated Singapore’s early arts scene, Sathyalingam himself was a purist who preferred to keep to the traditions of classical Indian art forms. The result of this was bharatanatyam dance that was innovative and expansive set to Sathyalingam’s classical Indian music of the highest standards.

Besides his role as music director of Apsaras Arts, Sathyalingam also contributed his expertise as a member of the Music Advisory Panel of the National Arts Council. For his contributions to Indian arts, Sathyalingam received the Viswakalaa Bharathi arts award in Chennai in 1995.

Classical Indian arts were a lifelong passion for Sathyalingam, and he is said to have insisted that his students continue with their performances while he was on his deathbed, lest funereal obligations unnecessarily mar and disrupt the audience’s expectations for a good show. This was an artistic commitment that Sathyalingam valued greatly.

In 2011, Sathyalingam Suntharalingam passed away at the age of 81. He survived by his wife, Neila, and four children, with daughters Mohana and Nandana carrying on the family’s involvement in classical Indian arts into the next generation.