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Remembering Kamukara
SONGS PERHAPS outlive everything else in memory. Sometimes the singer fades away into the gauze of memory even when his songs continue to live on. Kamukara Purushotaman was a singer who wished to be remembered by his songs. He was one who firmly believed that the best way to express his soul was through his songs, by his singing. It is 18 years ago, on May 26 to be exact, that this haunting voice was stilled, leaving behind a rich legacy of immortal songs.
The Kamukara Foundation was constituted nearly seven years back with the prime objective of perpetrating the memory of this great singer. The other objectives of the Foundation was to convert the music school which the late singer himself set up into an academy of music and fine arts that will provide facilities for learning and research in music and other allied arts.
Since 1997 the Foundation has honoured six eminent musicians with the Kamukara Award for their outstanding contribu
tion in the field of music. Recognising and encoura-ging young musical talents from all walks of life, conducting competitions for the youth, especially the blind and physically talented and promoting the talent among them, awarding scholarships for the needy musicians and organising workshops and seminars on music are some of the other objectives of the Foundation.
The first recipient of the annual Kamukara Award was V. Dakshinamurthy. In 2002 it was presented to P. Susheela. This year, the Ernakulam Chapter of the Kamukara Foundation will be launched on the death anniversary of Kamukara Purushotaman. "The high point of the inauguration will be the musical programme led by P. Susheela. She will be accompanied by a couple of young singers from Kochi," said Kamukara Sreehari, son of the singer and treasurer of the Ernakulam Chapter.
Susheela, who is in the Golden Jubilee year of her career in playback singing, will be honoured at the function to be held before the music programme. What makes this woman so special among the myriad female voices is perhaps her ability to blend emotion, with conscious effort in her renderings. Right from her first Malayalam song in Udaya's `Seetha' way back in 1960, this gifted singer has breathed life into countless Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and songs in various other languages. She still holds a special place in the hearts of the discerning Malayali music buff.
K. P.
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