Fans, well-wishers bid adieu to Balamuralikrishna

CHENNAI: Wednesday morning saw prominent personalities from the film and music industry, including Kamal Haasan, Yesudas and Mano, paying their last respects to Carnatic music maestro Balamuralikrishna before his mortal remains were taken to the Besant Nagar crematorium. Large crowds of fans and well-wishers accompanied the funeral procession.
The cremation took place at 4pm in the presence of family and disciples.
On November 22, the news of his death brought together many artists and politicians such as Sudha Raghunathan, Priyadarshini Govind, G K Vasan and Vaiko in mourning, as they visited the musician’s residence to pay their respects.
Social media too was flooded with condolences from Tamil film industry, including Dhanush, Anirudh Ravichander, Kajal Aggarwal and G V Prakash Kumar. “Have met him on lot of occasions. A great loss to the music industry,” tweeted Kumar.
Balamuralikrishna was also fondly remembered by national leaders such as Venkiah Naidu and Sheila Dikshit. “With the passing away of Balamuralikrishna, the world has lost its melody,” tweeted Dixit.
Balamuralikrishna was in many ways instrumental in taking Carnatic music to the masses and the world. The son of revered flautist Pattabhiramayya, he is said to give his first performance in Vijayawada when he was just eight. Since then, he had been known for his highly inventive style and signature. He had compositions in Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil to his credit.
Among the many honours he received are the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government and the Padma Vibhushan.