Guru of gurus passes away

Kurnool: A great Carnatic music exponent and Padma Bhushan Dr Sripada Pinakapani breathed his last at a private hospital here on Monday evening after a prolonged illness. He was 100. "Music is the dance of sound," thus once spoke the famous Carnatic music exponent who carved a niche for himself by dint of his melodious voice and scholarly knowledge. Dr Sripada was also a great teacher who turned out such geniuses like Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana, Malladi Suri Babu and Malladi Brothers. Though a doctor by profession, music was his passion. He did a yeoman service to the field of music with his sonorous orations. Dr Sripada, who ranked among one of the greatest of Carnatic musicians, set 108 kritis of Annamacharya to music and authored a book titled Sangita Sourabham in easy style for the benefit of students. His 100th birthday was celebrated last year by his disciples and the State government presented him with a Swarna Kankanam.

Music was his soul Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sripada Pinakapani was born to Kameswara Rao and Jogamma at Priyagraharam village in Srikakulam district on August 3, 1913. In the latter years of his life, he lived in Kurnool. Born in an era when music was considered a sole occupation of girls, he prevailed upon his father Kameswara Rao to allow him to pursue his passion. His father initially refused but gave in. However, he took special interest in the music education of his son by taking him to prominent exponents of the day so that the young Sripada could draw inspiration and learn from their knowledge. He began his music journey under the tutelage of revered B S akshaman Rao of of Mysore, who was the fourth generation disciple of Sri Thyagaraja Pinakapani also had the opportunity of training under the guidance of none other than Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu and R Ramanuja Ayyangar. All along, he never let go of his zeal for mastering Carnatic music and even turned a lyricist and wrote notations for many a kriti. Sripada did his degree in medicine in 1938 from Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam. He excelled in studies and went to acquire a master's degree in 1945. He served at Madras Medical College as an Assistant Professor from 1944 and shifted to Andhra Medical College. In the meantime, he joined the State Service and served as a Professor at the college. After 1954, he chose Kurnool medical college as his base till his retirement in August 1968. Pinkapani considered a Teachers' Teacher. He was given the title of Sangeetha Kalanidhi and was also honoured with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977. He was felicitated with several wards including Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. Andhra University honoured him with Kala Prapoorna in 1978. People used to throng Pinakapani's concerts, given especially during various festivals. Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, Nookala China Satyanarayana, Malladi Suri Babu and Malladi brothers who trained under him speak greatly of their master. His medical students fondly recall how his teachings were musical to their ears. There are also many books on music such as the voluminous 'Gamakala Sarvasvamu' that explains krithis of every sort. According to M R C Mohan Rao, English lecturer at Silver Jubilee Govt. College (A), Kurnool, "His ragas ripple like waves with a concord of sweet sounds. He is very much appreciated for his sweet, flawless, technically perfect voice and also for the reason of its amazing reach. He has not only enriched the horizons of classical music but also enthralled connoisseurs in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi with his concerts." Mohan Rao says Sripada was recognised as a "consummate scholar, apart from being a vocalist par excellence. He has made a rich contribution to the Carnatic system of Indian music by publishing books like 'Mano Dharma Sangeetam' (in Telugu and Tamil), "Mela Raga Malika", "Sangeet Sowrabham" and "Pallaviganasudha" (in Telugu and English)." He was felicitated by the State Government and the TTD on his birth day last year. While the State Government presented a Swarna Kankanam, the TTD honoured him with the tile of Gana Vidya Varadhi. A large number of his disciples and music lovers from all over the State as well as the country attended the programme. Since the centenarian was not in good health, the celebrations were held at his residence in Nehru Nagar. Law Minister Erasu Pratapa Reddy who represented the Government presented the Swarna Kankanam to Dr Sripada, while the Executive Officer of TTD L V Subramanyam handed the cash reward. On the occasion Dr Pinakapani rendered some kritis. He said it was a felicitation not to him but to the classical music itself. Awards galore

• Gana Vidya Varadhi
• Sangeetha Kalanidhi
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• Padma Bhushan
• Kala Prapoorna