Sumitra Guha, née Raju, was born in Andhra Pradesh to a locally known singer, Smt. Rajyalakshmi Raju and R. G. Narayana Raju, a retired Deputy Collector, a native of Tirumala Reddypalle, Chitoor Dist. Her sister is the noted Carnatic vocalist and exponent of the sankirtana of gospel of the 15th-century saint-composer, Annamacharya, Smt.
Shobha Raju and her
grandnephew, is applied physicist and multi-disciplinary artist, Sreyash Sarkar. Guha took to music at an early age, receiving the first lessons in music from her mother. Her formal education in music started at the age of eleven from S. R. Janakiraman, a renowned music guru of
Carnatic Classical Music. Having grown up in a small village of Andhra Pradesh, she wanted to become a
doctor because of the nobility of the profession. Her father, having been transferred to Nepal, suggested that she join
Visva-Bharati University,
Shantiniketan. She carried on with her academic education, pursuing graduate studies in philosophy. In his Novel 'Khayal Vocalism: Continuity Within Change', Deepak Raja, the eminent musicologist writes about Guha's prowess as a classical musician: In 1995, the Central Production Centre of
Doordarshan made a documentary called
Ek Mulakat based on the life of Guha. She has also done a music series by name,
Tribute to the Musical Saints of India, was performed at various concerts in India. Directed by Guinness World Record® holder
Rupam Sarmah, Grammy award winner
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and others. Recently, she has introduced a new project "Musical Journey Towards Rising India". This project is in collaboration with internationally acclaimed Indian Classical musician
Rupam Sarmah, Co-Producer, award-winning singer, songwriter & Guinness World Record® holder who is based in California. Guha and Rupam Sarmah have represented India for Festival of India concerts in France (2018) organized by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and Embassy of India in Paris on the occasion of India's 70th Independence. Guha founded the
Sumadhur School of Performing Arts which continues to teach music in the traditional
gurukula style. The primary purpose of such a system is the direct interaction between the Guru (teacher) and Shishya (disciple), a one-to-one association which forms a channel through which knowledge is imparted. This enables to create a wonderful environment and relationship between the guru and shishya. ==Awards and recognitions==