Suguna Purushothaman was an Indian Carnatic music vocalist, composer and teacher. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Carnatic music vocals in 2010. Suguna was born in Ponvilainthakalathur in Chengalpattu (now in Tamil Nadu) in 1941. In the 1960s, she received a Central Government scholarship and trained under Musiri Subramania Iyer, alongside students Mani Krishnasamy, Suguna Varadhachari, Padma Narayanasamy and Rukmini Ramani.She received special training under the illustrious Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. She also learnt layam from the mridangist Thinniyam Venkatrama Iyer, who also introduced her to Musiri. Under the guidance of Shri Thinniyam Venkatrama Iyer, Suguna was inspired to compose and perform difficult Pallavis taking precocious interest in Pallavis in rare talams. Her layam training also enthused her to master the “Dwi Tala Avadhana” maintaining two talams of different gathis simultaneously in two hands while singing Pallavis that match both these talams. For her mastery in this format she was known popularly as “Pallavi Suguna”. Her contribution in reviving the practice of singing pallavis in talams like the “Sarabanandanam” and “Simhanandanam” and the Dwitala Pallavis brought her wide acclaim.