TN Krishnan, legendary violinist and Padma Bhushan awardee, passes away aged 92

Noted violin maestro and Padma awardee TN Krishnan passed away in Chennai at the age of 92 on the evening of 2 November. Krishnan’s death was sudden as he was otherwise keeping well but on Monday he complained of some uneasiness. “He wanted water and when my aunt went to get it he suddenly collapsed and did not recover,” said Kala Ramnath, renowned violinist and niece to Krishnan. Tripunithura Narayanaiyer Krishnan was born on 6 October 1928, in Tripunithura, Kerala and later around 1942, he settled in Chennai. Krishnan was a prodigious talent who began learning violin from his father A Narayana Iyer at an early age; he was just 11 when he performed his first solo violin recital. In his illustrious career as a musician extraordinaire, Krishnan has collaborated with the likes of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Alathur Brothers, GN Balasubramaniam, MD Ramanathan and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer among many others. He was also conferred with many prestigious awards most notably the Padma Shri (1973), the Padma Bhushan (1992) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1974). In 1980 the Madras Music Academy awarded him with the honour of Sangeetha Kalanidhi. Over the years, he performed at thousands of musical concerts both in India and abroad. He also taught violin to many students in his academic career at Chennai Music College and he was the dean for the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi. Krishnan is survived by his wife Kamala, his daughter Viji and son Sriram both of whom are violinists themselves. On the news of Krishnan’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “The demise of noted violinist Shri TN Krishnan leaves a big void in the world of music. His works beautifully encapsulated a wide range of emotions and strands of our culture. He was also an outstanding mentor to young musicians. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti (sic).”