A. Kanyakumari:
“He rose like a meteor and has fallen like one,” violin exponent Kanyakumari thus describes the phenomenon called Shrinivas. “I played with him for 13 years and what an experience it was!”
A musician who loves challenges, Kanyakumari found her outings with the mandolin wizard absolutely thrilling. “He would play swaras in a rare raga, impromptu, and look at me with an impish smile. It was a delight to give a fitting reply on my instrument. Actually, the entire team would be on its toes and we loved it. He belonged to the rare breed of musicians that gave equal status to accompanists and revelled in the exchange,” says Kanyakumari.
“Prodigies we know and I have played with several but here was a mind that defied comparison. He was extraordinary. No two concerts of his were alike. He never played a raga the same way. And he appealed to audience of any kind. His music and charisma were such that listeners, the lay and the expert, were spellbound. It was divine, that tejas was unique; he was Subramanya and the mandolin was the lance. Only it poured nectar.
“Thanjavur Upendran brought his talent to light after listening to him at a temple. Shrinivas met with initial resistance but did not rest until he made Carnatic music rasikas accept the mandolin. He was proving something at every concert. And the rasikas adored him,” she says.
When and how did her long association with Shrinivas begin?
“The year was 1983. MLV was teaching at Rishi Valley. Shrinivas had just appeared on the scene and the students wanted to hear the mandolin. A concert was arranged and MLV trusted to me the task of handing over the advance. I went to his house but only met his mother. I didn’t accompany him in that concert.
“Soon, I got a call from Sangeeta Cassettes and I was requested to accompany Mandolin Shrinivas. I agreed and the partnership flourished till 1996. Along with Guruvayur Durai, Thanjavur Upendran, Srimushnam Rajarao and Sikkil Bhaskaran, we formed a wonderful team,” narrates Kanyakumari, who thinks they were privileged to be in the company of a prodigy at his peak.
Concert tours often entailed car travels into remote areas and they had such fun. “Full of life and zest, Shrinivas would spread laughter with his jokes and child-like observations.
And then would fall asleep leaning on one of us. He was Anjaneya upasaka and had impeccable manners, especially with elders.”
He was self-taught and during concert tours, would go to seniors and seek clarification on ragas that he was yet to master. “A single stroke on the violin would be enough for him to launch into a flawless exposition, informs Kanyakumari.
“He learnt many kirtanas, MLV bani , that way. Young and fresh, he absorbed everything effortlessly. The thirst for knowledge and relentless practice – he would be making polite conversation but the fingers would be caressing the mandolin – shaped his genius into an artist that wove magic. We seniors literally watched him grow and can’t believe that he is no more.”
Vikku Vinayakaram and Selva Ganesh:
Thirty five years ago, Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakaram or 'Vikku mama' as he is more popularly known as, went to play the ghatam at a concert in Vadapalani. He walked in with Thanjavur K Upendran who was going to play the mridangam for the same concert. Minutes before they were to go on stage, the organiser came up to them and asked, "A ten year old boy is going to play the mandolin. Why don't you listen to him?" They then sat and listened to U. Shrinivas strumming a kirtana on the mandolin, an instrument that had never entered a Carnatic music concert before that.
"That day, both Upendran and I felt that the little boy played the instrument remarkably well. In fact, Upendran then asked Shrinivas to play at a 'kalyana kutcheri' in Salem. Enthralled by his calibre, Upendran ensured that he was given more opportunities," recalls Vinayakaram.
A few years later, the young boy Shrinivas became a groupie of sorts playing among legends in the field of Carnatic music. At a concert in Krishna Gana Sabha, Shrinivas played the mandolin along with stalwarts like Sikkil. R. Bhaskaran, Vinayakaram, Upendran and Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram. "After that concert, Tamil Nadu Minister K. Rajaram came up to us and said " Nalu pulikku naduvla oru eli enna paadu padithiduthu! " (rough translation: What ruckus a little mouse created among four tigers!) narrates Vinayakaram.
If Vinayakaram was part of the team that sighted Shrinivas's genius for the first time, his son, Selva Ganesh got a chance to witness from close quarters how the mandolin maestro functioned. “In the fourteen years that I knew him, I got to know the side that believes in the power of the divine. He used to pray and meditate whenever he got the time. He strongly believed that as human beings we mustn’t expect anything. Whatever we deserve, we will get, he used to say,” recounts Selva.
For Selva, Shrinivas was God’s own child. “It would take two or three lifetimes to achieve what Shrinivas has achieved in forty years. He did not belong to this world.”
In 1999, Selva and Shrinivas along with the rest of the team of Remembering Shakti boarded a private jet that would take them on their musical tour. “I was just thinking about that journey and the kind of fun we used to have on the jet. Nobody could watch us there! I remember adding milagaipodi, thengaipodi, paruppupodi to a packet of chips and creating a mixture out of it. This, I made for Shrinivas ji.”
“He was always the first person to sleep on the jet. As soon as we’d get inside the plane, he’d fall asleep. Shankar (Mahadevan) and I would be envious of his ability to sleep whenever he wanted.”
During Shakti’s rehearsals, the kind of compositions that John Mclaughlin gave us weren’t easy, says Selva. “Normally, any musician would take around two or three weeks to master the pieces John gave us. Shrinivas took twenty minutes. After a mere 20 minutes, when John and Shrinivas played, they were in perfect sync! Till date, I haven’t seen anything like that in my life.”
Selva remembers the fabulous memory that Shrinivas had. “From the colour of the kurta I was wearing to the compositions we played, Shrinivas could remember everything with such precision. He would say things like ‘We’ve played that raga ten years ago. We cannot repeat it.’ How did he remember that!”
Selva’s favourite backstage memory of Shrinivas is the time when Shrinivas asked Zakir Hussain to bless him before they went on stage. “Zakir ji replied saying ‘You are born blessed.’”
Guruvayur Dorai
An emotional Dorai is at a loss for words. “They say he was 45. But to me he was always a child. Having accompanied him very early in his career, the image I have etched in my mind is that of a young artist with incredible talent. He had great affection for me and would seek my support in key concerts. Thus we performed together at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New York and London.”
It may sound clichéd but Guruvayur Dorai emphasises – “Artists make indelible impressions with instruments, some becoming synonymous. But in Shrinivas’s case the mandolin adopted him.” This, from a man, who had his own doubts about the instrument’s suitability for Carnatic music only to be mesmerised.
Sembanarkoil S.R.G. Rajanna
Sembanarkoil S.R.G. Rajanna breaks down as he talks of his 30-year association with Shrinivas. “The Mandolin is dead. Put that down,” he says. “He brought it to this side of the world and has taken it with him. There is none who can play the instrument like he did. He was Chakravarti just as TNR was for the nagaswaram.”
Sembanarkoli Brothers and Shrinivas shared the platform on many occasions. “Valangaiman (Shanmugasundaram) and Haridwaramangalam (Pazhanivel) were his favourite accompanists. They knew how to keep in step with his sparkling but serene style.” Rajanna happened to attend a marriage reception where Shrinivas was performing. People streamed in, handed over gifts to the couple and wended their way to the dining hall. An upset Rajanna mentioned this to Shrinivas and he replied: “Your presence is equal to a million listeners, I’m happy.”
Anil Srinivasan:
Shrinivas was a child of God; His gentlest perhaps. He was much more than a master musician to me… he was my mentor, sounding board and a great friend. During my New York days, he would often visit me. Once, while in Seattle, he learnt I was unwell and slightly low on confidence. He landed in New York the following day and came to stay with me. I think I must be the only person who drank soup made by Shrinivas! Yes, he was so concerned that he tried to help me.
Small things gave him immense joy. Once, he made a request… he wanted to take a ride in the subway. So I got him a ticket and we took the ride. He was silent throughout, just observing the people. After we got out, he looked at me and said, “Can I ask you something?” And his question was “Do even the rich people take the train?” To my affirmative, he was amazed! That child-like wonder was one of his most endearing qualities. And of course that sweet smile! He also loved collecting DVDs. Once, he walked 10 blocks under the harsh afternoon sun to get a copy of the film ‘School of Rock,’ and watched it the same evening and giggled throughout even though he admitted he could not figure out quite a bit of the film. That was Shrinivas for you!
He loved my imitation of people. He would suddenly call me and ask me to imitate somebody. And then giggle non-stop.
Once during the recording of an album, he asked me to play a particularly complicated beat. He played it first and I had to follow suit. I played for 15 minutes. And looked up at him when the sound engineer asked, “Another take, right?” I realised I had got it all wrong, every note, every beat. But all Shrinivas said was, “No. What he played also sounds interesting. We can keep it for later.” And then he taught me to play the beat correctly!
Now, how can I accept that such a warm, compassionate and generous being will not call me up again on my next birthday at 6 in the morning, wish me and then ask, “Practise panniyacha? ”
John McLaughlin
In a way, you could divide my life into -- Before Shrinivas, and After Shrinivas. I was 41 when I first saw Shrinivas. He was 14. If we are lucky, we get to meet one or two exceptional human beings in our lifetime. They inspire us, and he was one of them. My life was blessed as a result.
Within one minute of seeing and hearing his marvellous music, I knew I had to work and play with this person. It took some years. Finally in 1997, he was persuaded to join the group Shakti, and the fun began. His electric mandolin and my electric guitar were made for each other.
Of course, much rehearsal had to be done before touring, and after the rehearsals, Shrinivas and I would sit in the hotel room and simply play together, just the two of us.
He would ask me things like, “Ji, how do you articulate those double notes in the upper register? I would show him, and he would grasp it immediately, saying, ‘Thank you Ji, yes it's easy Ji, thank you!’ Then, I would ask him how he played those wonderful gamakas, and he would show me, but though easy for him, extremely difficult for me, but he had been a prodigy from the age of three.
Shrinivas had grown up listening to Shakti, and by the time he joined us, he had already written music for the group! He mastered the Shakti repertory with disconcerting ease, and always with his shining eyes and delightful smile... I miss him so...
He had received more honours than I've had hot dinners, and yet he was always simple and unpretentious. He had such humility it was almost embarrassing; before every concert, before going on stage, he would come to me to thank me for being in the group. He was almost too pure for this world, so of course, all the other musicians would tease him: he had his little idiosyncrasies, every time we would be in a restaurant, first thing he'd say, “Water please, room temperature, please.” So, of course, we'd bring the words ‘room temperature’ into the conversation whenever possible. Since he had a delightful sense of humour, we laughed a lot and frequently.
One particular concert, Shakti played in a town somewhere in the U.K. We could see that the audience hadn't the faintest idea what was going on stage, and there were some strange faces. For months afterwards, he would ask me, “Ji, show me the faces of THE CONCERT,” which I would do, and he would double up with laughter to the point of weeping.
Shrinivas the Great is gone, but Shrinivas will never leave us.
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia
I’ve never been this unhappy. The kind of fealty and hard work Shrinivas showcased was unparalleled. In my lifetime, I haven’t seen anyone with such talent. Even as a person, Shrinivas was unique. Few artists manage to be good human beings as well. He was respectful towards everyone. God has clearly made a mistake by taking him from us. Personally, I feel like someone has chopped my hand off. It won’t be the same playing my instrument again.
Dr. L. Subramaniam: I first heard of Shrinivas when he was still a child - it was great to see a prodigy which such depth in his music. He took the music world by storm. Even the critics who might have thought that it was a western instrument and not suitable for Indian music, were proved totally wrong by his innovative genius of adapting the mandolin so well. In addition to being a most successful interpreter of Carnatic music, he was also a musician's musician, rare indeed.
I had the pleasure of meeting him on quite a few occasions. He was humble, down to earth and simple. We have also shared the stage for Jalsa along with Pt. Jasraj and Pt. Hariprasad. It was a memorable concert for me. Whatever he played was meticulous, clean and with a lot of emotion and expression. He had this rare ability impress any audience, whether a knowledgeable Indian or an uninitiated foreigner. He was extremely successful in crossing over and collaborating with musicians of other cultures.
Mandolin Shrinivas was a virtuoso, a maestro.
Pt. Ronu Majumdar:
I recall meeting Shrini at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, when I was performing with Trilok Gurtu. Shrini was not only a super genius musician but also soft spoken and unassuming. We were planning to play together in Mumbai sometime this year but unfortunately that will remain unfulfilled. I will miss his heart- touching music.
‘Chitravina’ N. Narasimhan:
I was happy to read that the Madras Music Academy condoled the untimely passing of mandolin maestro U. Shrinivas at a rare specially conferred meeting. Shrinivas touched the hearts of millions of rasikas and made a name for himself and his instrument globally. Early in his career, I convinced the Government of India to confer on him AIR’s A-top Grade, at a time when doubts were being expressed about his ‘foreign’ instrument, arguing, among other things, that the violin and clarinet too were ‘foreign’ instruments. While it may not be possible to confer the Sangita Kalanidhi Award on him posthumously, it may be possible for the Music Academy to induct him into its Hall of Fame from the ensuing annual music festival of December 2014. May The Music Academy consider this on behalf of music lovers and fans of Shrinivas.
Vidushi R. Vedavalli:
“My first memory of Shrinivas is him playing at the Ayodhya Mandapam. He was just seven. A friend of ours spoke highly of this little boy who played like a seasoned musician. I was curious. So I went to listen to him. And was simply astounded by the sheer talent on stage. A sweet little boy with a charming smile played like he was to the music born! I may not have interacted much with him on a personal level (there was a two-generation gap), but I always made it a point to attend his concerts. And every time we met, he would always stand up and greet me with that beautiful smile. I was a great fan, an ardent admirer. An irreparable loss, indeed!
‘Drums’ Sivamani:
He used to call me ‘Annababoi’ and he loved the Telugu slang that I used to speak. Before every concert, he used to say “Anna, you have to take care of me on stage.” But, on stage it was he that would take care of me. I remember the Madhuvanti piece he played for Shraddha’s concert for Shakti Foundation at Music Academy. That was sheer magic! To me, he is an avatar of God. He came, gave us the light and then returned. I made a stop-over yesterday at his house and urged Rajesh to take his legacy forward. Shrinu was a genius.
Jayanthi Kumaresh:
Shrinivas stormed in the music scene in the early eighties. He looked like god's own child...I remember the first concert in the Indian fine arts society when legends and giants from the music fraternity were there in the audience for an afternoon slot concert. The music was seamless and absolutely unbelievable. After the concert, great musicians rushed to the stage and offered their rings, bangles and whatever they had to this little boy who knew nothing about all these worldly things.
He introduced a new instrument to the Carnatic world. He introduced so many new concepts...quietly, making no noise about it, unassuming and just his music spoke for him. He hit the zenith of fame, but what really mattered to him was his mahaperiyava, his Ramana, his Sai, his hanuman and most importantly, his mandolin. He just went back where he belonged, to the gods.
