D.V. Mohanakrishna’s 1980s ‘gurukulavasam’ in Mahathi2, at Chennai’s Kanakasrinagar, is the envy of even the most ardent followers of the enigmatic Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna. The disciple’s association with the composer ever since meant that music became the former’s universe and the latter its personification. Not a day passed without a lesson in those formative years of the teenager’s journey — one of the many testimonies to the lengths the maestro went to honour his word to groom a worthy disciple.
T he promise to nurture a ‘sishya’ was in response to Kammambati V. Subbarao’s poser in the summer of 1979, at the annual music commemorations of the Tyagaraja Vidya Peetham in Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Sri Subbarao’s contention was that Balamuralikrishna could have tutored many more students to transmit his illustrious legacy.
‘To produce disciples was not like making ‘Mysorepak’ or ‘ladoo,’ quipped the legend in his inimitable style. He nevertheless instantly consented to take on any willing and devoted youngster under his fold for a period of about five or six years. The one firm condition Balamuralikrishna stipulated was that no time-table be set or sought by parents for the ward’s inaugural concert or recordings at All India Radio.
Sistu Prabhakara Krishnamurthy Sastry of Machilipatnam, who had initiated Mohanakrishna into classical music from the age of eight, had already given the boy exposure to Balamuralikrishna’s method and repertoire. In particular, a recording of the maestro’s early 1970s concert in Challapalli town was aimed at weaning the boy from film music. Sastry’s ploy worked splendidly, as Mohanakrishna was moved listening to the performance, ‘Entaro Mahanubhavulu,’ in particular. Ever since, he would track AIR broadcasts of classical music with the aid of The Hindu.
When Balamuralikrishna heard his prime disciple recite his kriti on Ganapati in Arabhi on the sidelines of that 1979 commemorations, he was apparently satisfied and it was a dream come true for an ardent admirer. Mohanakrishna’s deteriorating vision and pursuit of undergraduate studies in commerce delayed his relocation to Chennai. But the most unexpected moment of his life arrived when, in 1981, Balamuralikrishna offered to have the young man stay at his residence behind the Music Academy. Gurukula style!
Exercises in the 72 Melakartha ragas, Tyagaraja’s Pancharatna kritis, Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Navagraha and Navavarana kritis made up Mohanakrishna’s daily routine in the first year of his tutelage. Mastery of the foundational melodic scales was mandatory in the early stages. But soon, guidance would be forthcoming to meet specific professional targets, say an entry-level contest for artistes to perform at AIR, or a thematic concert on Syama Sastri’s compositions.
The morning lessons at home extended through the day. The evenings were to be spent with the guru at the home of another disciple (with a locomotor impairment), learning new compositions. The deal proved too good a proposition for Mohanakrishna to decline. His subsequent exposure as a supporting artiste on the stage, besides other assignments, meant that music was the sole preoccupation through all his waking day.
By the mid-1980s, the maestro set his sights on securing employment for his accomplished disciple. To create an opening at the AIR as a tambura artist seemed the most realistic and promising prospect. But before any such idea could materialise, Mohanakrishna had to be taught to strum the instrument. Prevailing upon the Sangeetha recording company to hire him as a second artist for the role was the easier part. To acquaint him with the nuances of the drone and setting the device to tune was more fundamental. And finally, Balamuralikrishna gave the man the twin task — of singing the Navagraha kritis, keeping the respective seven rhythmic cycles with one hand and playing the tambura with the other — all within 15 days.
Since 1988, Mohanakrishna has been a Staff Artist at AIR, Vijayawada, and a much sought after performer and teacher. His training with his guru continued almost uninterrupted through subsequent decades, over the telephone and during concert tours around the world. There are obviously a number of disciples who claim strong affiliation to the Balamuralikrishna lineage. But there can be no question about Mohanakrishna’s pre-eminent position.
