A walk down memory lane! Karnatic maestro M Balamuralikrishna's days in Bengaluru

Karnatic maestro M Balamuralikrishna has had a strong bonding with Bengaluru ever since he gave the first major performance in the city in 1957. He had a huge fan following and students flocked to his concerts in big numbers. ET brings a glimpse of the man as seen by five Bengalureans.
I have been fortunate to have played at about 200 concerts of Dr Balamuralikrishna. He respected my work because it suited his type of singing. As a master of innovation and improvisation, he composed impromptu lyrics and ragas onstage. The doctor aced Ragam Taalam Pallavi which is the highest order of improvisation and judges the capacity of a musician. Every concert was a learning lesson for us. Off stage too, he was a gem of a person. A foodie, he was extremely fond of ice creams and would unhesitatingly indulge in one before stepping onto the stage. Unlike other musicians, he would often treat himself to fried snacks like bhajjis. One of his favourite eateries was Woodlands Hotel in Richmond Town where he would regularly order idli and pongal.

Mysore Nagaraj (55), violin maestro

My first onstage music collab oration with Balamuralikrishna was in 2006. I remember how throughout the concert, he kept making eye contact and giving me smiles of encouragement to let me know that we were in it together. And since then, we performed together for 100 concerts. The great thing when performing with him was that he always made every musician on stage comfortable. He was so good at his art that there was never any anxiety or tension before a performance.His cool composure was such a remarkable and inspiring trait.Another incredible characteristic was that, unlike other singers, he never worried about eating ice creams or anything for that matter before a concert. He would follow his heart and ate what he wanted to. He was an extremely respected musician across the nation, not only for his music but also for the great human being he was. With his passing away, it is the end of an era in music.

Giridhar Udupa (36), ghatam player

Balamuralikrishna gave his first major concert at our Mandali concert in 1957 and announced that he would not perform at large events on our stage in 1984. The remuneration for his 1957 concert was Rs 100. My father SV Narayanaswamy Rao was very fond of Balamurali. I vividly remember inviting him for our Diamond Jubilee celebrations about 18 years ago. The maestro pointed at the portraits of the trinity of Carnatic music (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri). He said, "I want to be up there with them, equated with them." He performed on our stage again in 2003, 2004 and 2014 even though he wasn't in the best of his health.

Sn Rama Prasad (61), managing trustee, Sree Ramaseva Mandali

When I interviewed him for our magazine two years ago, the legend told us that he started singing when he was only eight years old when he was in Vijayawada. As Chennai was the centre of Carnatic music, he and his father used to travel very often in between the two cities. He fondly remembered the frequent train journeys he took back then and started reciting the names of all the stations that lie between Vijayawada and Chennai. That must be about 20 stations and this was when his health had started to fail him and he was already losing his memory. About a fortnight later, he was here to perform at the Sanskrit Sabha in Banaswadi. When we showed him the magazine cover with his photograph and the article, he could not even recall that we had met only weeks ago. I was shocked and worried how he was going to do the concert. However, his two-and-half hour concert turned out to be as brilliant as ever. Later that day , he told us: "The only thing I know is music and music knows me." When everyone sings a mangalam at the end, he wouldn't saying that one concert does not signify the end.When everyone observed Tyagaraja's death anniversary, he advocated that his birth be celebrated instead. His lesson to everyone was to be open-minded and innovative in the way we look at even a traditional artform like Carnatic music.

Aparna M Sridhar (42), Editor, Saamagaana The First Melody

I first met Balamurali in Chennai at the age of 23. Like everyone else, I was led by the aspiration of becoming his student, an opportunity only a few would get. I had to undergo an acid test to prove that I was capable enough. He asked me to sing the toughest ragas and was large-hearted enough to appreciate my talent. He was clear that I had to give everything else up and be under his tutelage for five-six years.I joined his gurukula, which had an exclusive system of teaching. Balamurali encouraged students to learn ragas themselves and play it back to him. He would correct and teach only what is required. He always asked me to sing many of his new compositions. Between us, music education was not only during classes. We exchanged notes and queries even during breakfast and lunch. When I studied under him, I was more his son and secretary than being a student. His biggest teaching is to not be influenced by anyone. He gave his students the freedom of expression to find their originality . He had amazing clarity and accuracy in lyrics, his songs were melodious and reached the common man.These are also some of the biggest takeaways that I try and pass on to my students.

Vidwan Mg Venkataraghavan (60), founder, Nada Hamsa Academy of Music