The moment Ustad Amjad Ali Khan heard of Balamuralikrishna’s demise, his mind travelled back to their green room banter. It was during the Sawai Gandharva festival organised annually by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in Pune, where he had a long, fun-filled chat with Bala and Bhimsen. “I have collaborated with musicians across the world. I cherish some of these exchanges, like the two concerts I performed with Bala. His rare musicianship not just inspired fellow musicians but also pushed them to explore their creative limits.”
The first time he shared the stage with Balamuralikrishna was in Delhi in the presence of the former Prime Minister, the late P.V. Narasimha Rao. “The same year, we performed together in Paris. We were awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize by UNESCO. On the occasion, both of us came up with special ragas dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi.”
“I never missed meeting him whenever I visited Chennai. I feel blessed that he was one of the recipients of the Hafiz Ali Khan Award instituted in the memory of my father.”
