Yesteryear actress Vyjayanthimala was one of the first few celebrities to rush to Carnatic legend M Balamuralikrishna’s residence behind the Music Academy in Chennai.
The eighty-year-old actor, visibly distressed, spoke about her guru to journalists waiting outside the house.
“This is the saddest day of my life. He had a peaceful death, he died in his sleep. He was god's man. I will miss my guru ji terribly. He was supposed to give me the Subramanian Bharathi award next week. He won’t be there next week, but I will feel his presence. His music will always haunt me,” she said.
Not just Vyjayanthimala, but everyone who came to pay respects to the 86-year-old Carnatic doyen, who had passed away at 3.30 pm on Tuesday spoke about how deeply his music will continue to influence them.
Chandrasekhar, a music critic reminisced about how Balamuralikrishna was into music from his early years. “He learnt music from many gurus and he was awarded Sangeetha Kalanidhi before he turned 50. That is such a big achievement,” he said.
"A multifaceted personality, he has acted in films. He was an outspoken and eccentric person,” said Chandrasekhar.
Carnatic vocalist, Sudha Raghunathan said it was a very sad day for the entire music fraternity. “For me, I have lost a guiding force. I had learnt so much from him- not just about music, but values. This legend touched everyone's heart with the vibration in his voice,” she said.
People couldn’t believe he was a small boy when he stormed into the music industry, she said. “There is so much we can still learn from his music. He has left all of us- with the genius of his music,” said Sudha.
Actor and member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) S Ve Sekar said that he had known Balamuralikrishna for the last 40 years.
“When he taught Melakarta Ragangal on radio, Carnatic music was taken to common people. There was a time when they believed Carnatic musicians could not sing in cinema, but his Oru Naal Podhuma is proof that he could do both well. He would have ice creams before concerts. He was that kind of a person,” said Sekar.
GK Vasan also visited Balakrishnamurali’s house on Tuesday evening. Speaking about Balamuralikrishna he said, “His talent has fetched him many awards. He has taken India's name to the world. There is nobody who wouldn't know his name in the music industry.”