A deft instrumentalist, Balamuralikrishna mastered the veena, violin, mridangam and kanjira, among other instruments with phenomenal ease. His staggering repertoire includes 400 compositions, featuring devotional songs, varnams and krithis.
In a musical career that spans his entire lifetime, Balamuralikrishna's singing appealed to connoisseurs and laymen alike, which is well portrayed by the popularity of his film music and the iconic song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara (in which he joined a gamut of singers such as Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar) as well as ability to span the three octaves with deceptive ease.
One of the most inspiring ideologies by the maestro was by A Prasanna Kumar, director of Centre for Policy Studies, in an article in The Hindu, in which he said, "One of the beautiful quotes I have read of the Carnatic music maestro is -- I breathe music, think music, talk music and music is my energy and I am an instrument of music".
In an interview with The Indian Express, Balamuralikrishna said, "I like to sing my own creations. There is a different level of innovation that one can do with one's own compositions. That's exciting. I'm still learning and shall remain a student all my life. I don't sing. My music sings. It just comes to me and I become an instrument for it." In image : M Balamurlikrishna with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle at Deena Nath Mangeshkar memorial celebrations.
Contributed by: Mitul Kansal