Let me also remember K. Srikantiah, lest we forget a GREAT Music Patron

The last time I remembered Lord Shri Ram was when I went to Ayodhya in September, 2024 to see the newly-built Ram Temple in the place where earlier Mughal invader Babur had built the Babri Masjid. God Sees the Truth, But Waits! So said Leo Tolstoy in his short story of the same title. God saw the truth and made the Hindus wait for 500 years!

In the past I used to remember Lord Ram even before the arrival of Ramanavami. That was because of a great Rama Bhakta, probably after Hanuman, K. Srikantiah of our city.

Since an article has already appeared in Star of Mysore yesterday (9.4.2025) remembering him on this Ramanavami, I will not inflict on my readers a repetition of who K. Srikantiah was and the manner he went about organising the great musical extravaganza in Mysuru. But let me recall my days with him only on two occasions in a year.

One, during the Ramanavami and another when the Annual General Body of Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Sports Club (Mysore Sports Club) was held. He would personally come to my office, meet me and ‘humbly’ present the beautifully printed invitation card with marquess names of musicians and request publicity for the most prestigious Sri Ramanavami Music Festival of Karnatak Music for 12 days. Yes, the author of yesterday’s article in Star of Mysore, Sachi R. Sachidananda, has already given some names of those luminaries. However, when K. J. Yesudas came for the concert the gathering of the rasikas, men and women, would be in thousands that special Police bandobust would be made for that evening.

When he thought I must not miss his favourite artiste performing that evening he would make a special request for me to attend. And I would see him moving around with condign pride, like a cockerel, in his white attire with a suppressed smile, nodding his head by way of acknowledging those who greeted him. He was a very good PR man and I was given a seat at a vantage point on the front row.

Once after attending a concert I wrote in my Abracadabra column that rasikas, men and women, most of them connoisseurs of Karnatak music, seemed to go ecstatic and experience orgasm! ‘Objection my Lord’ was the response from some puritans who were in that concert to Star of Mysore’s observation. One even suggested that I could have used the word ‘enthralled,’ or ‘transported to the metaphysical world from this mundane.’

Be that as it may, I remember K. Srikantiah for his special affection and attention to me, sometimes sharing personal experiences.

A couple of times he invited me to his heritage Bungalow and fed me with mouth-watering delicacies. His only child, daughter Prabhamani aka Mysuru Prabha, used to move around the house making her presence conspicuous.

Once it was Vishnuvardhan, the film actor, who was in his house when I was invited. His daughter enthralled us with a song. She had ambitions to become a successful singer but I am afraid she could not make it. Her father being a great connoisseur of music and also a patron of musicians I wish his daughter had made it to the top. But then life is a journey without the journeyman knowing if he would reach his destination. Like yours truly,  for example.

K. Srikantiah was very close to F.K. Irani, the Managing Director of the well-known Ideal Jawa Pvt. Ltd., manufacturers of the famous Jawa Motorcycle which I used to ride since 1970 until 1979 cursing myself for the pain it caused to my calf muscle because of constant kick-starting. And in 1979,  God saw the truth!

Farrokh Irani was the President of the Sports Club for over 17 years continuously and he would invariably call K. Srikantiah on phone to attend the General Body. And he would oblige. And he would come neatly dressed in a white sharkskin suit and occupy the front seat with dignity and grace. He would utter the final word. Those days it was the Committee that would elect the President. The result was forgone. Alleluia!

Indisputably a great patron of music he was. So also his brother K.K. Murthy, who was very close to D. Devaraj Urs, the then Chief Minister. No wonder he built that iconic Concert Hall on Sankey Tank Road in Bengaluru in the name of the Violin Maestro Pitilu T. Chowdiah of Mysuru. Once, I had the pleasure of meeting K.K. Murthy in  the Hotel Southern Star where Jaffer Sharief, former Railway Minister, was present. It was evening. And their hospitality surprised me. I was embarrassed in the company of these two teetotallers!

Having ventured into my dark, narrow memory lane lit by Sachi R. Sachidananda, let me reproduce some of my writings of those days about the great Karnatak Music Patron of Mysore K. Srikantiah tomorrow. Nostalgia — retracing the road one had journeyed.

e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com