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Sharda Rajan Iyengar Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

BirthplaceKumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

ProfessionSinger; Lyricist; Music Director

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

FamilyChildren: Shammi Rajan (son), Sudha Madeira (daughter)

Sharda Rajan Iyengar Biography

Sharda Rajan Iyengar was an Indian playback singer, lyricist and music director whose career spanned from the 1960s into the 1980s and beyond. She is best‑

Early life and background

Sharda Rajan Iyengar, born Sharada Iyengar and also credited simply as Sharda, hailed from Kumbakonam in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. She trained first in Carnatic music with several teachers and developed an early interest in music and Vedic culture. Her family background exposed her to Sanskrit and traditional learning, and she also learned practical singing and performance skills that would carry into a professional career.

Career

Sharda moved from classical training into popular music and became active in the Hindi film industry from the mid‑1960s. A turning point came after a performance abroad, when she was noticed by Raj Kapoor and invited for a voice test at R. K. Studios. Under the mentorship and practical guidance of the composer duo Shankar‑Jaikishan she began recording for films.

Her voice can be heard on songs from many films of the 1960s and 1970s, including Suraj, Gumnaam, Around the World in 8 Dollars, An Evening in Paris, Pyar Mohabbat, Gunahon Ka Devta, Sapnon Ka Saudagar, Shatranj and Ek Naari Ek Brahmachaari. The 1966 song Titli Udi from Suraj brought her wide recognition and was associated with major award attention that year. She was nominated for Filmfare awards across several consecutive years between 1968 and 1971.

Sharda sang alongside leading playback voices of the era — including Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Yesudas, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor and Suman Kalyanpur — and her songs were picturised on many of the era’s prominent actresses. While best known for her Hindi film work, she also recorded songs in Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and English.

Beyond playback singing, Sharda explored other creative roles. In 1971 she released a pop album titled Sizzlers, regarded as an early example of a pop record by an Indian female singer. She wrote lyrics under the pen name Singaar, credited for the song Ek Chehra Jo Dil Ke Kareeb for the film Garam Khoon (1980), and she worked as a music director on a number of films in the 1970s and early 1980s, including Maa Behen Aur Biwi (1974), Kshitij (1974), Mandir Masjid (1977), Tu Meri Main Tera (1980) and Maila Anchal (1981). Her final Hindi film song appeared in Kaanch Ki Deewar (1986), after which she continued to release non‑film albums including ghazals and bhajans. On 21 July 2007 she released a ghazal album titled Andaaz‑e‑Bayan Aur featuring verses by Mirza Ghalib.

Public profile

Sharda received several honours across her career. In 1966 she was recognised by film journalists and received Filmfare Award attention for her work that year; she later won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1970 for the song Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki from Jahan Pyar Miley. Later honours listed include a Special Award from the Music Composer Association of India in 2021 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bollywood Pulse Entertainment in 2023.

She was also known for her musicianship beyond singing — she played the tanpura and continued performing and recording into her later years.

Personal life

Sharda held a Bachelor of Arts degree and followed Hindu religious traditions; she belonged to a Vaishnavite Iyengar Brahmin family. She was married and was the mother of two children, a son named Shammi Rajan and a daughter named Sudha Madeira. Her siblings included a brother, Desikan Bharathan, who worked as a scientist, and a sister, Srithala Rajan.

Later years and death

Sharda continued to be active musically through albums and live performances after her film work slowed. She battled cancer in later life and passed away on 14 June 2023 in Mumbai. Her daughter shared the news of her death on social media. Reports list her birthplace as Kumbakonam and her age at death with differing sources.

Latest updates

Posthumous recognitions listed around 2023 include a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bollywood Pulse Entertainment. Her recorded legacy spans film songs, multilingual recordings, non‑film albums, songwriting and film music direction, leaving a varied catalogue for listeners and researchers of Indian film music.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Sharda Rajan Iyengar, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Andaaz-e-Bayan Aur

Ghazal album featuring poems by Mirza Ghalib, released 21 July 2007.

2007
Final Hindi film song in Kaanch Ki Deewar

Last recorded Hindi film song credited in the film Kaanch Ki Deewar.

1986
Sizzlers

Pop album released in 1971, noted as an early pop release by an Indian female singer.

1971
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Career Highlights

  1. Became widely known for the song Titli Udi from the film Suraj (1966).
  2. Worked under Shankar‑Jaikishan and recorded for many notable Hindi films in the 1960s and 1970s.
  3. First Indian female singer to release a pop album titled Sizzlers (1971).
  4. Worked as a music director on multiple films in the 1970s and early 1980s.
  5. Won Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1970 for Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki.
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sharda Rajan Iyengar known for?

Sharda Rajan Iyengar is known for singer; Lyricist; Music Director.

What is Sharda Rajan Iyengar’s marital status?

Sharda Rajan Iyengar's marital status is listed as Married.