D.V. Mohana Krishna was barely six when his grandmother placed him under the tutelage of guru Sistu Prabhakara Krishnamurthy Sastry in Machilipatnam. Confesses Mohana Krishna with a smile, “I was a diligent student and loved Carnatic music. But I was young and had a greater interest in Telugu film music, especially songs of Ghantasala.”
For years, Mohana Krishna continued to nurture his love for both streams of music.
When he was studying Intermediate, his guru gave him audio cassettes of Carnatic music giant M. Balamuralikrishna. Listening to Balamurali’s divine melodies, bhava-soaked renditions of lyrics gave him an insight into the greatness of the Carnatic classical tradition, he says. It also engendered him in a desire to learn from this great master.
His ambition was fulfilled when Balamuralikrishna noted his talent and sincerity and accepted him as gurukula student. “For five blissful years, from 1982 to 1987, I imbibed music from him. I am a student, admirer and occasional accompanist of Balaramurali sir,” he says.
Already diagnosed with ‘Retinitis pigmentosa’ in childhood and suffering reduced vision since then, Mohana Krishna was hit by conjunctivitis while studying B.Com which led to total loss of vision within days.
He was shattered at first. Later, he reconciled himself to his visual impairment and continued his sangeeta saadhana undeterred — in fact, with greater dedication. “We had searched then for a cure in vain. To this day, my friends and guru continue this search but I prefer to focus on music leaving this to God’s will.”
He worked in AIR Vijayawada from 1988 to 1999. He was subsequently transferred to Hyderabad where he has been performing much-appreciated classical and light-music concerts and teaching. “I love teaching, more than anything else. We learn when we teach. I train students who are in different stages. So I teach saraliswaras, varnams, krithis, ragam-thanam-pallavi.”
As someone who grew up on a diet of classical and film music, he couldn’t help noticing that programmes featuring film songs attracted big crowds with houseful shows while classical music attracted smaller groups and niche audiences. So, in 2004, he combined the two for a synergy in a novel concept called Swara Raga Sammohanam.
“I would sing a classical music lyric and follow that with a Telugu film song in the same raga. For example, Dikshitar’s Vatapi in Hamsadhwani ragam would be followed by Sriraghuram, Jayaraghuram ; and Thyagaraja’s Nanu Palimpa in Mohana by Mohanaragamaha , etc. ”
From 2006 onwards, the legendary S.P. Balasubramaniam partnered him in this musical venture rendering the film songs. So, one would hear Samaja Varagamana in Hindolam by Mohana Krishna and Rangulalokalavo by SPB; Yethavunara in Kalyani followed by Mrogindi Veena Padepade and so on.
Mohana Krishna is currently working on a TTD project of tuning and rendering 108 Annamacharya kirtanas. In January, he released the CD Mahita wherein Thyagaraja kirtanas are presented unusually — in fusion music style.
Orchestration and improvisation are creatively employed in Mahita to make for listening pleasure and an aesthetic product. August saw the release of CD Mohana — his renditions of select Mohana ragam kritis.
