The birth centenary of vidwan Calcutta K.S. Krishnamurti (KSK as he was known to all) occurred on 21 December 2021. To commemorate the occasion, his disciple, Sangita Kalanidhi Sanjay Subrahmanyan put together a series of events, including several posts on his social media channels, culminating with a concert on 25 December 2021, at the Music Academy, Chennai.

The concert itself was carefully put together, and the list of songs selected for the concert by Sanjay showed the affection with which he holds the guru and the musical emotions they shared.

In the blog posts and video snippets that Sanjay put together, what was evident was KSK’s emphasis on the part of the guru on the need for constant innovation. This was highlighted in the guru’s delight in his sishya’s composition of a tillana in Maru Behag. KSK used to stress upon the ever-important need to innovate and find new ways of making music.

The social media coverage also brought out several snippets of interesting information about KSK’s career and the values and lessons he passed on to his student. From the episodes delivered by Sanjay, we learn of KSK’s interests in numerology and mathematics. KSK had set to tune various compositions apart from being a composer himself of varnams and kritis. He tuned many compositions of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati, tarangams of Narayana Teertha, and ashtapadis, amongst others. He once told Sanjay that he had taught 67 songs for a disciple in raga Surati.  

An amazing teacher specialising in subtle nuances and grammar, KSK’s approach was unique, and this is precisely what the centenary celebrations sought to bring out. There was always a special phrase that KSK added, which left listeners spellbound. For example, Aadugiraan Kannan, rendered in Mand, was tuned by him in Kapi with a passing shade of the suddha dhaivata. KSK was willing to explore and come out with special sparkling tunes. He also composed various varnams to show the correct arrangement of the scales to get a proper understanding of the raga.

What also came across in Sanjay’s celebration of his guru is the role played by KSK’s family. For instance, his wife used to write notations with perfection even while listening to concerts on All India Radio. KSK’s daughter Raji and his son-in-law Suresh were also of great support. Raji herself was extremely involved in her father’s music and KSK 100 – a celebration often provided valuable comments and advice. His late son K.K. Ravi was also a wonderful musician. He was a renowned violinist, and his sudden demise came as a great loss to the music fraternity. From the videos presented by Sanjay it was evident that he and Ravi enjoyed several musical sessions together.

SUBHASHINI PARTHASARATHY

(Carnatic musician and scholar)