On Friday, news broke, early in the morning, of the death of Mandolin U. Shrinivas (45), child prodigy and Carnatic musician par excellence, but it took time to sink in.
The news spread like wildfire on social media, and messages of grief came pouring in.
His home in Vadapalani — where one can usually catch faint strains of the mandolin — resonated with sounds of grief on Friday. A pall of gloom had set in as the mandolin has lost its master.
He is survived by his father and son, and mourned by his two sisters and brother U. Rajesh, who is also a mandolin player.
Shrinivas had been ailing for a while, and was receiving treatment at Apollo Hospitals for liver disease. He had recently undergone a liver transplant. In a statement, Apollo Hospitals said: “the transplant procedure was uneventful, and his liver function showed signs of recovering. After initial improvement for five days, he developed a secondary lung infection, leading to shock and multi-organ failure.”
Shrinivas was a man of clean habits, but he had ignored an old infection for a long while, his friends told The Hindu . “Why should he die so young?” cried everyone in grief, when Shrinivas’ body was brought to his home in the evening.
Carnatic musician Vijay Siva said Shrinivas always wore a gentle smile and had the most innocent cheer. “When I met him, he came across as someone with massive talent and never-ending enthusiasm. I want to curse nature. Why can’t God make some exceptions?”
Carnatic musicians Ranjani and Gayatri, after paying homage to Shrinivas, said his demise had thrown the music fraternity into a state of shock. Ranjani said, “I saw him perform at the age of 13, amidst legends of music. That performance is still ringing in my ears.”
When he was teaching, Shrinivas was the epitome of patience, Aravind Bhargava, his student for 17 years, said. “Even when we made mistakes during learning sessions, he would gently point it out to us. It is hard to imagine he is no more,” he said.
Singer Sriram Parasuram said behind the success and fame of Shrinivas, there was hardship and turmoil. “Few knew what he went through. He had often mentioned how much he missed going to school. He has left behind a legacy,” he said.
Every day, whenever he was in Chennai, he would take a long walk and visit the temple close to his house, recollected singer Mahathi. Though his health didn’t permit it, he played at the temple during Vinayaka Chathurthi last month, she said, adding, “The mandolin is what it is today, owing to him. It is his child.” On Friday, it seemed as if the mandolin had been orphaned, in this sphere at least.
Published - September 20, 2014 02:46 am IST
