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Father: Madhava Rao Dasu
Spouse: Shiva Ram Vangala

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Born in 1914 @ Guntur and died in New Delhi on 28 Jun 1972
Married Shiva Ram Vangala in May 1929

(Spouse)Shiva Ram Vangala was born on 29-3-1895 @ Attili and died in January 1951 @Lucknow


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LIFE OF VANI BAI
Born in the year 1914 at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Vani Bai was the only child of her parents Dasu Madhava rao and Meenakshamma (2nd wife ). She lost her mother when she was yet a baby. Her father brought her up with great care and affection. Her father was a leading lawyer at Eluru at that time and later on at Bezwada.
Vani Bai belongs to a highly cultured Brahmin family in Andhra Pradesh. Her father chose to name her as “Vani”, after the Goddess of Music and Learning, as he found in the inborn qualities suited to music even when she was a small baby.
Her grandfather also a vakil was reputed Sanskrit Scholar, a singer and was the author of a great epic Devi Bhagavatham in Telugu. He also wrote several books in Telugu. He was also the composer of many kruthis, kirthanas, and Javalis. He was a great adept in “Abhinaya Sastra”. He was one of the first to introduce Abhinaya Sastra in high class families.
Vani Bai has undoubtedly inherited musical talents from her grandfather and her mother Meenakshi who had a fine voice and was able to sing moderately. She was very fond of listening to good music from her childhood and used to persuade her father Madhava Rao garu to take her to all the music concerts.
She received her early music training in Karnataka Music for a number of years at Bezwada from the noted Andhra musician, late Sri ‘Gayaka Saarvabhauma’ Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu and mastered it well. She started giving performances from a very early age at Bezwada, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Madras several years back.
In the year 1929 she married Dr.Vangala Sivaram working at Lucknow University. Immediately after her marriage, her husband who was the first Indian to receive the Carnegie Fellowship endowment for further studies in Europe for an year. During that period she visited al the countries in Europe and also learnt some Western Music (Violin) at Paris and Vienna. An year after return to India with husband in August ,1930 for the first time to Lucknow, she wanted to do some course in Hindustani Music also. With that desire, she joined the Marris College of Hindustani Music at Lucknow. She then had an opportunity to meet the Late Shri Pandit Bhatkandeji who was there on a short visit and had the privilege o singing before him. When she finished her 3rd year in Hindustani music course, she had to leave for Europe where her husband Dr.V.s.Ram was appointed as a Political Affairs Officer in the League of Nations. Dr.V.S.Ram who was the Professor and the Head of the Department of Political Science, Lucknow University, served the League of Nations till July 1937, for a period of nearly two and a half years and to return to India when the World War II broke out. On his return, Dr.Ram rejoined the Lucknow University.
Vani Bai Ram who was very keen to finish her five years course of music then joined the college again and in course of she succeeded in finishin her fifth year of the course i.,e “Sangeeta Visharada” under the able guidance of Sri Pundit S.N.Ratanjankar. Later she joined the Post-graduate course in music under Sri Ratanjankarji, but unfortunately she had to give it up[ before completion due to domestic mishaps.
In the year 1951 she had to face a great calamity and an irreparable loss in the sudden and premature demise of her husband Dr.V.S.Ram. She survived him with four sons and three daughters. She became grief stricken and disturbed. Her sorrow was consuming her up. When Lo! Her prayers helped her. Swami Sivananda’s books came to her rescue. She visited the Ashram of Sivanandajee for Swamiji’s “Darshan” to have “Shanti”. She spent a few months there. She took Sivananda Swami as her Guru and benefactor. Swamiji’s teachings and his magnanimous compassion had immediately transformed her. She became a new person with new spirit and new energy. Swamiji ordered her to do her duties and to have some occupation to keep her mind busy and make her cheerful.
Since then God has been helping hger in every way. Children also came up well and there was nothing lacking for her. Her eldest son Lt.Madhava Prasad settled in life as an Army Officer, and so too all her other children. Her daughters Mohini and Padmini were also well settled and all of them had bright careers and wonderful lives.
Swami Sivananda renamed her as Sivananda Vani and guided her in the spiritual path. Sivananda Vani was God fearing from her childhood and became a great devotee and an ardent follower of Swamy Sivananda and earned his most precious spiritual grace. She was one of the few foremost disciples of Shree Gurudev in her devotion.
She believed in doing real Seva by remaining in the mundane world keeping her heart pure, dischanging her duties towards her children, moving with everyone, serving her Guru to the best of her ability and being charitable. Among her various deeds of charity, mention is to be made of the Hanuman temple in her village and a small town hall in the same village, where a school for poor children is run during the day and in the evenings people of the village meet. She constructed rooms in Andhra Ashram Rishikesh, in Sivanandaashram,and donated liberally to various Univiersities. She also helped very poor children by giving them school fees and books.
She worked as Producer(Music) in the All India Radio station New Delhi. She also wrote some lyrics which were sung at other radio stations. She breathed her last in peace on 28th June 1972 at New Delhi. Such was the illustrious life of a great soul.
Life of Dr.Shivaram Vangala

Dr Vangala Shiva Ram had his early education at Attili , Tanuku Taluk , W Godavari Dist . He later did his Intermediate at the Madras Christian College. He made attempts to run away from home for further studies in vain for some time until , through his brother , he met a Gujrati businessman who, after persistent requests , agreed to take him along as his Secretrary to Japan . He was just 17 then . The Gujrati gentleman , however , fell sick even before reaching the shores of Japan and wished to return home immediately . Dr Ram felt devastated at this unexpected and sudden development and begged him to lend Rs.500 promising to return it with interest at the earliest opportunity and with his blessings sailed across the Pacific reaching San Fransisco. After considerable hardships initially and working as an usher , baby sitter , snow clearer and the like he managed to eke out a living and simultaneously tried hard to obtain admission for a BA ( Hons ) Course in the Univ of Calif , Berkeley on the other side of the Bay where his brilliance also got him a full scholarship . He came through the degree course with outstanding success and impressed his professors. After graduating from the University of California he took his Masters and Doctorate from Harvard University during 1916-1920 also on scholarship . He pursued his studies further at Emanuel College, Cambridge UK as a Goodwin Fellow and as a Parker Fellow under Prof Harold Laski in London . On his return to India, he was appointed Lecturer in History at the University of Calcutta by Sir Asutosh Mukherji, Vice Chancellor. He then remembered and retuned the money he borrowed from the Gujrati gentleman.

He was married to Vanalata , daughter of Sri Mutnuri Krishna Rao who was a freedom fighter with Gandhiji and a well known journalist , the founder editor of Krishna Patrika at Machilipatnam . Dr Ram soon moved to Lucknow and joined the Lucknow University as Head of the Department of Political Science , a post held by him till his death in Jan 1951. However he lost his first wife in 1928, He then married Vani Bai , daughter of Dasu Madhava Rao in May 1929. He served the League of Nations from 1935 to 1937 as a member of the Trusteeship Council and later was on deputation to the Indian Institute of International Affairs at New Delhi where he served as Secretary for almost three years . At Lucknow he was President of the Rotary District and an active member of the Masonic Lodge and the International Club etc., He authored several books and travelled widely . A little known fact is that he was asked by Nehru to represent our country in Chile as the Ambassador but unfortunately death followed just then very prematurely .

He was religious minded and a philanthrophist .He had darshan of saints like Ramana Mahaarshi, Ma Ananda Mayi and Swami Sivananda Saraswati