Chennai, 2011
On a sultry August afternoon, I met Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, the legendary musician and maestro, at his home in Chennai. An accomplished singer-composer with over 400 compositions to his name and 25,000 concerts performed across the world, he has been a household name in India for over five decades. Famous not only for his voice, but also for his skills with the kanjeera, mrindagam, veena and violin.He’s been awarded some of the highest honours – with a Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, to name a few.
I had the chance to catch the legend on camera when I was making a documentary on Indian classical music. As my crew and I walked up the stairs, he greeted us with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye. “Ah! All this is new music coming into my life now,” he said, looking at all the camera equipment.
The one-hour we spent with him gave us insights not only into Indian classical music, but also about his life in music. As he breathed his last yesterday, we decided to go back to the tapes, and share excerpts from his interview. Here is Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna in his own words.
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