Renowned violinist TN Krishnan died in Chennai on Monday evening. He was 92.
People close to the musician said that although Krishnan was in good health, he had a “sudden uneasiness” in the evening and died, according to The Indian Express. “He was healthy,” said Ramanathan Iyer, who was close to Krishnan’s family. “Even in the recent days, he was watching videos of rasikas and his disciples wishing him a happy birthday.”
Krishnan is survived by his wife Kamala, son Sriram Krishnan and daughter Viji Krishnan.
Born in 1928 in Tripunithura in Kerala, Krishnan, who learnt music from his father A Narayana Iyer, had his first solo violin concert at the age of 11. He accompanied veteran musicians such as Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Alathur Brothers, GN Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, MD Ramanathan and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, according to The Hindu.
Krishnan taught at the Chennai Music College and later held the position of dean at the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi. He received several awards, including Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Noted singer and author TM Krishna condoled Krishnan’s death and said no one was as gifted as Krishnan when it came to “capturing the essence, taste and life of ragas”. “His greatest assets are his understanding of ragas and conviction about music,” Krishna told The Hindu. “Even though so many things changed over decades in the music world, he had the conviction about good music and would only offer that.”
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