B.S.S. Rao, 82, art critic and secretary of the Sri Lalithakala Academy Foundation, died here on Monday. He is survived by five daughters and a son.
A patron of classical arts and music, he was a regular contributor to various newspapers, including The Hindu .
He took a keen interest in the promotion of classical arts, particularly Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, and through his academy, he took the initiative to host or co-host national-level music and dance festivals, notably in Mysore, Chennai and Thanjavur. This included the M.S. Subbulakshmi Memorial Music Festival and Natyanjali, a national-level dance festival. The academy, under Mr. Rao, conducted quiz contests and seminars on classical arts.
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Mr. Rao was nominated as a member of the South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, by the Karnataka government in 2010 in recognition of his yeoman services to performing arts. He was also a member of the South Central Cultural Zone, Nagpur.
Earlier Mr. Rao was employed in the Railways and retired as personnel manager in the Mysore Division.