In one of life’s little ironies, the noted Malayalam playback singer Gayathri Srikrishnan was discovered by lovers of Hindi film music after she took her last breath on June 16 at the age of 82. Having relocated in the autumn of her life to the residence of her son, the flautist G.S. Rajan, in the National Capital Region, she had kept a low profile. However, as soon as the news of her death following cardiac arrest came in, tributes started pouring in from all parts of the country. Some remembered her as a radio announcer who hosted a children’s show “Balalokam” on All India Radio (AIR). She worked as an announcer on AIR in the early part of her career. After graduating from St Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, Gayathri sang and composed music for a number of radio shows and scripted many radio plays. Others recalled her as one of the earliest female playback singers in the Malayalam film industry.
K.B. Gayathri—as she was known before her marriage to the noted Carnatic musician Guruvayoor Srikrishnan in 1958—sang her first solo playback “Thekkunu nammaloru chakkonnu vangi” for the movie Rarichan Enna Pauran , which came out in 1956. However, her name was recorded for posterity with the evergreen song “Naazhiyooru paalu kondu naadake kalyanam”, which she sang with Shantha P. Nair in the same film.
G.S. Rajan reminiscences about the song in a tribute to his mother on Facebook thus: “Even 60 years after the song was first heard in the movie ‘Raaricchan Enna Pauran’, it remained a favourite of listeners, and the song’s 50th anniversary was celebrated with special interviews and television shows on several channels.”
Not many years after her marriage, Gayathri stopped singing for films, but she continued to perform at Carnatic music concerts and other music programmes until the 1990s. She also taught music privately for several years; many of her students became stars in and around Kozhikode.
Gayathri managed to carve out her own niche as an actor-singer in Malayalam. Many recalled that she had worked with the famous Malayalam actor Thikkurussi Sukumaran Nair. It was courtesy one of the tributes that Hindi music lovers now realised that she had collaborated with the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi when he visited Kerala.
Born in Kochi in 1937, she was brought up by her uncle Narayana Shanthi after her father’s death early in life. Narayana Shanthi was the chief priest at the Shiva temple established by Sree Narayana Guru in Kozhikode. The devotional practices of a priest’s home cast an influence on her. As a follower of Sree Narayana Guru, she grew up with a broad view of life too.
Music was as important as her studies. Her daily puja included singing with the tanpura in front of the deity. It was to be her riyaaz (practice). As a little girl, she toured Kerala for concerts. Once when Rafi came to Kerala Gayathri was selected to sing with him for two programmes. Rafi wanted her to accompany him for the rest of the tour as well. However, her mother politely refused as she had to attend school.
Gayathri is survived by G.S. Rajan, daughter-in-law, Anjana Rajan, a Bharatanatyam dancer-theatre practitioner, grandson Shyam Rajan, and daughter Sujatha Das.
COMMents
COMMents
SHARE