[Photo Courtesy: Academy of Music, Bangalore]
President of India A.P.J.Abdul Kalam at the Chowdiah Memorial 25th year Jubilee
honoring eminent musician Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
honoring eminent musician Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
[Left to right: President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Chief Minister Karnataka N. Dharam Singh, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Music Academy President K.K. Murthy (who invited the President), Karnataka Governor T. N. Chaturvedi and Transport Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge.]
We have hinted, in many of our earlier postings of how 1970 was the ‘watershed’ year in the Chowdiah Memorials coming up.
The popular newspaper The Hindu, in attempting to capture the same sentiment on the 25th anniversary celebration of the Memorial in 2005, wrote inline “As he walked one morning in a park, K.K. Murthy, former chairman of the BDA ruminated over M.L. Vasanthakumari's concert he had heard the previous evening at the Ramanavami music festival. "I remember the concert went on till midnight and it was heaven," recalls this working president of the Academy of Music, an independent registered body that administers the Memorial Hall.”
K. K. Murthy’s words "the previous evening" related to April 15, 1970, the evening in “Parvathi”, Mysore, honoring the memory of T. Chowdiah.
The Mysore event had been inaugurated by Karnataka Governor Dharmavira (a very popular Governor in India) along with Karnataka Industries Minister Rajasekhar Murthy, who by then had both become close friends to the house of “Parvathi”. T. Chowdiah’s violin was on display to the thronging crowds of his native town and the joyousness of the occasion coupled with ML Vasanthakumari’s music, her eulogizing Chowdiah and the aftermath of dinner with those that mattered culminated in the ‘Sankalpa’ that there must be a fitting memorial to the memory of such a great stalwart of Carnatic Music.
But, as the earlier Hindu article also pointed out, this was an act easier said than done! As the son of the man who spearheaded the project K.K. Murthy recalls in a posted video on the blog , the bank balance was but an astronomical figure of only Rs. 500! ($10 in today’s conversion).
What followed, is something for the history pages to decide, as we leave you here with some connecting pictures, a full concert by Vidushi MLV and her speech, all for your enjoyment.
Minister Rajasekhar Murthy addresses, while an attentive Governor Dharma Vira listens
An evening of 'trupthi' with Vidushi ML Vasanthakumari and party
[ 01_Jagadanandakaraka_Nattai;02_Manasu Nilpa_Abhogi;03_Saketanagaranatha_Hari Kambhoji; 04_Bhagayanayya_Chandrajyothi;05_Eduta nilachite_Sankarabharanam; 06_Mariyadagadayya_Bhairavam; 07_RTP_Shanmukhapriya;08_Yake Nirdaya_Ragamalika; 09-Shloka, Amrutahuni goad, Baliyamanege,Baro Krishnayya_Ragamalika; 10_Pavamana Mangalam_Saurashtra; ]
Leading by example? Academy of Music President K.K. Murthy occupies a front row listening to MLV.
That 'rapt attention' would pay dividends later!
Some others too with a rapt attention on MLV!
Prof. H.S.K. Iyengar, India's great novelist R.K. Narayan and Agaram Rangaiah, Editor "Sadhvi".
Ah, even a Governor eats with his hands when the dinner is in "Parvathi"!
Minister Rajasekhar Murthy, K. Srikantiah, Governor Dharma Vira, K.K. Murthy
Finally, remembering the man who came to the support of a Memorial !
Advocate Srikantiah's family at home to Chief Minister Gundu Rao and Mrs. Varalakshmi Rao
Academy President Murthy ,too, remembers in gratitude!
Felicitating Mrs. Varalakshmi Rao with Karnataka Chief Minister Dharam Singh
