Remembering VishnuVardhan
He indeed spread joy everywhere! Vishnuvardhan and Bharathi in "Parvathi" with the Srikantiahs and Mysore Prabha
How much more 'eerie' does a phone call have to get?
Its 10 a.m. Wednesday Dec 30 in the USA (around 8:30pm in India same day).
A member of the blog is on the phone with Advocate K. Srikantiah wanting to check on some facts related to the old photographs of Karnataka Screen thespians Ananth Nag, Vishnuvardhan and the musical genius Yesudas. In fact, the desire to post the photographs of those names was an inspiration of a couple of days back, as the same member, in accidentally tracking Mr. Srikantiah's whereabouts to Mysore, had finally connected with him but only for a few moments as the latter was about to retire to bed.
Due to the inconvenience of the hour, the blog member was barely able to get past the initial courtesies of a conversation. The only noteworthy sentence that he was able to remember from those few minutes was that the elder had had "...a good time in Mysore connecting with my dear friend Vishnuvardhan for some laughs!..." In someways, this also reminded the member that maybe the next posting on "Parvathi" might as well be on the famed name of Vishnuvardhan and that of the other famous ones that periodically collected in "Parvathi". If so, he needed to speed up the collection and verification of some photographs for the weekend deadline!
The next phone call, made in innocence, today, at the time noted earlier, may perhaps be the eeriest thing that this member would remember for a long time to come in his life "... and I am calling you about putting some Vishnuvardhan's photographs and thinking of calling it 'Happy times at "Parvathi" '...does the title sound OK to you? "
...and as he waited for the moments silence for the other's elderly voice to synchronize with him in a response, it came in a very sad and feeble but devastating way "... Just want to let you know Vishnuvardhan is no more!...the airways have all been carrying the news....I just came away to Bangalore...left him behind in Mysore... and now he is no more!...how can one forget thirty years and more of this great friendship!...."
This Karnataka screen legend departed his mortal frame of fame around 3am Wednesday Dec 30 in Mysore, on cardiac arrest.
From our side, we can but only honor him in sharing whatever he leaves behind with us!
Vishnuvardhan being honored 1994 along with Mysore's other famous sons! Silver Jubilee Commemeration of Chowdiah in "Parvathi"
Honoring friend Yesudas for his music in "Parvathi"
Friends all - Vishnuvardhan, Bharathi, Yesudas, Srikantiahs and Mysore Prabha
