Slender that he was, the 93-year-old S. Krishnamurthy would nearly swing down the steps leading to the gate of his house. Talking cheerfully, mostly about music, All India Radio, and old friends, he would gently ask at the gate: “When will you come next?” I would have no answer, but in a manner of speaking would reply, “Sometime soon, sir…” He would however, fix a day and date. “Next week? Friday? Morning or evening? I have many more stories about Mysore and music…let us talk.” Former station director of All India Radio, grandson of the legendary Mysore Vasudevacharya, musician and author of several books on music and musicians, SKM was unbelievably modest. Always dressed in a white kurta and ankle length dhoti, SKM showed no signs that he had interacted with legends all his life – both during his childhood in Mysore and as Station director of AIR.
Everything about SKM belied his age. His memory was staggeringly intact, as was his demeanour. The only time you felt age was catching up with the nonagenarian was when he said, “I can hear only from one ear. Will you speak louder…?” During every conversation, he promptly filled me in on his daily routine. A walk to the neighbourhood temple and visit to the magazine stall at around 10:30 a.m. every morning was his outing. “I am mostly homebound unless friends come and take me out for a function…,” he would say. Around six months ago, this had stopped when he developed a skin allergy. “My skin itches, so I have been advised not to go out. I am on homoeopathy now, getting slightly better.” He did get better and had resumed his morning outing.
“Do you think I should translate Sangeeta Samaya into English?” he had asked one morning. “My musician friends are pressing me, but what do you think? Will people be interested? Will you go through the draft?” he had asked with concern.
He was seeking validation from a declared admirer of the book; it is one of the finest documents on musicians, the rich cultural atmosphere of Mysore, as well as the extraordinary patronage that the Maharajas gave to art. SKM’s narrative, simple and non-glossy, is a delight to read. But the pleasure of listening to him re-narrate these stories were unmatched. He would in great detail recall everything, visually conjuring up Mysore at the turn of the century. If it was a sad story, he would end it quietly, else he would pepper it with his subtle humour and wait for the right response. SKM’s most favourite stories were always those that spoke of simplicity of the legends – of Tiger Varadacharya, of MS, of Bidaram Krishnappa…. he was a treasure trove.
I had asked SKM to write a piece on the late musician, P. Kalinga Rao. Much before the promised date, he had written it. I had received three calls that morning to ask at what time I was going to collect it. When I reached his gate, he was standing in his balcony, waiting with neatly folded hand-written sheets….
I think of SKM and his simplicity fills me. There was no tinge of greatness to anything that he did or said. He genuinely believed that being born as Mysore Vasudevacharya’s grandson was the most fortunate thing to happen to him, and everything else was a mere continuum. He ascribed no greatness to himself. SKM belonged to that breed of people who believed in the essential goodness of human kind. Not even once, did I hear him utter a harsh word about anyone. Fate however is unsparing – he tripped over a stone and suffered a head injury during his morning outing, and the last three months his health was on a steady downhill.
His phone calls stopped.
I would have barely walked a few steps from his gate, SKM would have already reached his balcony, and in the hope that I would look back, he would be waving. It’s now a thing of memory. His gentle voice rings in my ears: “When will you come next…?”
Isn’t it my turn to ask him….?
S. Krishnamurthy had his training in Carnatic music from his grandfather, the legendary Mysore Vasudevacharya. He was even trained in western classical music. As a young man he sang, also played the piano and jal tarang. He retired as Station Director of All India Radio, and even served as Programme Director All India Radio. His book Sangeeta Samaya, and Mysore Vaggeyakara Vasudevacharya have run into several editions. His recent book was on MS.
