Calcutta Krishnamurthy: Teacher par excellence
The Hindu
A tribute to Calcutta K.S. Krishnamurthy on his birth centenary
December 2021 marked Calcutta K.S. Krishnamurthy’s birth centenary. The celebrations were somewhat muted, but that’s how he would have liked it. He was not someone who craved the kind of attention and accolades that define today’s world of Carnatic music, especially in Chennai.
KSK, as he was fondly called, combined high scholarship and deep understanding of music with a rare degree of understated manners. In short, the vocalist, composer, teacher, writer, and passionate devotee of Carnatic music, was a misfit for the rat race.
His outstanding teaching career created a legacy that is more powerful than the fame or money that eluded him when he was alive. Even in his later years, he was far from financially comfortable, moving in and out of small rented houses. He also lost his only son, Ravi, a budding violinist from the Lalgudi stable, to a bizarre road accident in Scandinavia.
