Veenai Dhanammal (1867–1938) was a highly accomplished Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

ian, and the torchbearer of the school of Carnatic music that goes by her name. She was both a vocalist and a performer on the veena

Veena

Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...

. The prefix "Veenai" in her name is an indicator of her exceptional mastery of that instrument.
Dhanammal was born in George Town, Madras (now Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

), into a family of professional musicians and dancers.