Andhra Pradesh celebrates Balamuralikrishna's birthday
By Dr. A. Ramayya Mulukutla / Hyderabad

At a function held at Harihara Kala Bhavanam, Hyderabad, Dr. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna was honoured with ritual chanting of Vedas in celebration of his 75th birthday. The 1600-seat hall was packed to capacity, leaving several disappointed rasikas who did not have an invitation.

The function chaired by High Court Judge C.Y.Somayazulu, had N. Chandrababu Naidu, former chief-minister of Andhra Pradesh as the chief guest. It may be remembered that it was Naidu who brought MBK back to Hyderabad, after a hiatus of some 7 years, by appointing him as the cultural adviser to the A. P. Government.

Some 25 students from Ragavardhini and S.S.Music Academy (run by his disciples Mohana Krishna and G. V. Prabhakar respectively) sang a dozen compositions of MBK including some of the ragas he invented. This was followed by a Bharatanatyam number by Priya Jayaraman.

Before the intermission for the actual function of felicitating MBK, Prince Ramavarma (Trivandrum), hailing from the Swati Tirunal parampara and a disciple of guru K. V. Narayanaswami performed a kriti by MBK.

Balamurali's early childhood and his rise to fame were reminisced by several speakers at the meeting.

Seating MBK on a floral throne with a canopy, Naidu presented a shawl, a crown and a plaque. It was announced that Mangalampalli will be awarded the prestigious honour, the title of 'Chevalier' from the French Government.

Then came the release of '75 Kalyani Ragas of Dr. MBK' in a MP3 format and and audio casette of 'Thyagaraja Rama Bhakti Samrajya Vybavam'.