Carnatic exponent Nedunuri no more

Visakhapatnam: Well-known Carnatic exponent Sangeetha Kalanidhi Nedunuri Krishnamurthy passed away here on Monday. He had been ailing for some time and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital. He was 87. He is survived by son Pinakapani, daughters Srivalle and Vijayasri. His wife Sugana passed away 10 years ago.

Several ministers, local MLAs, Collector N Yuvaraj, musicians and artistes paid their respects. He was cremated in the evening with full State honours. Chief Secretary I Y R Krishna Rao represented the State and the Chief Minister.

Krishnamurthy was born in Kothapalle in East Godavari to Ramamurthy Panthulu and Vijayalakshmi. His mother was his initial guru. He later joined Music College in Vizianagaram and got trained for violin under Dwaram Narsinga Rao Naidu. But at the behest of Sripada Pinakapani, he started learning vocal and developed his own style of singing.

Nedunuri worked as the Principal of SV College of Music and Dance, Tirupati, MR Government College of Music and Dance, Vizianagaram, Government College of Music and Dance, Secunderabad, and retired as the Principal of GVR Government College of Music and Dance, Vijayawada, in 1985.

He was Dean of Faculty of the Fine Arts and Chairman of Board of Studies in Music of Sri Venkateswara University and Nagarjuna University. He immensely contributed to Annamacharya Project of the TTD in tuning most of the kritis.

Krishna Gana Sabha, Madras, conferred on ‘Nedunuri’ the title “Sangeetha Choodamani” in 1976. The Music Academy of Madras conferred on him the most prestigious title of “Sangeeta Kalanidhi” in year 1991. He was appointed as the ‘Asthana Vidwan’ of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and also Kanchipeetham.