Vasu

I have been supressing the urge to mention my dear brother Vasu's premature exit - may be because of the dark twilight zone in the recent past, waiting for cyclone Jal to cross the shores of Chennai. I feel like sharing the anguish of losing somebody, who was almost my alter ego! I raised him from day one till he started going to school at the age of 3. I taught him to play (seating him on my lap) technically perfect mrdangam, with correct fingering techniques, and he was ready to perform when he was 7. We played double mrdangam with my Guru, and Dr. Balamuralikrishna, when Vasu was only 12 or 13 years old. A successful dual mrdangam accompaniment was thus initiated and followed by many in later years.

Vasu, as all of us in the family circle call him, had a phenomenal memory for korvais, anecdotes and different styles of vocalists. He could reel off any of the above at any given time! On one occasion in 2002, he detailed a korvai and told the listeners about how Anna composed it in the car, as we were driving to Yesudas' concert in Bangalore in 1968 - and we all played it! On another occasion, all of a sudden, he squatted on the floor and demonstrated a Kokilapriya raga tala pallavi, which I performed at the Academy in 1969, and did trikalam, etc, etc, and meticulously demonstrated the guru and plutam.

He was the best socializer in the family at all functions like upanayanams, weddings, including inauspicious ones. They were all conceived, scripted and executed with perfection - with accounts for every rupee and paise provided upon completion! He was a friend to all the kids and a terror as well! He would not brook indiscipline at any level!

For my first ever vocal concert with the all-time legend, Palghat Mani Iyer, at the Ragapriya sabha, in Tiruchirapalli, Vasu was my vocal support, along with Sikkil Bhaskaran on the violin - from the Bhairavi Ata Tala varnam to 4-kalai pallavi in Bhairavi! Sri Mani Iyer was pleasantly surprised and blessed him to become an elite musician accompanist.

During the concert this year at the Trivandram Navarathri Mandapam, I sang Paramapurusha in Ragam Vasantha. When I was sitting with Varadu, I did sruthi bhedam on madhyamam, and it gave an interesting scale. We could not find its equivalent in the books - it is Amritavarshini with suddha daivatham added on the Avarohanam. Varadu wanted me to compose something ASAP, and I did it. We named it Vasupriya in memory of Vasan!

I could go on.... his intimate family, Geeta, his wife, Son Girish - a highly talented mrdangist, and daughter Vibha, the computer whiz kid - all were just a part of the broad canvas of Vasu's global family. We share our grief ad nauseum - what else?

Now I am left only with memories.