Balabhaskar Chandran (10 July 1978 – 2 October 2018) was an Indian musician,
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
. He is best known for promoting fusion music in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
.
[Fusion Music]
/ref> Hailing from a musically affluent family, he was introduced to the world of instrumental music at the age of three by his uncle B. Sasikumar
B. Sasikumar is a noted Carnatic music violinist, musician, teacher, composer and writer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Profile
B. Sasikumar was born on 27 April 1949 in Thiruvalla, to M. K. Bhaskara Panicker and G. Sarojini Amma.
...
, a laureate in Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
. Balabhaskar began his professional career at the age of 12. He made his debut as a music director by composing the soundtrack for the Malayalam film
Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...
'' Mangalya Pallakku'' (1998), and was the youngest music composer to have worked in the industry at the age of 17. He had won the Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeetkaar Puraskaar in 2008 by Kendra Sangeet Natak Academy for Instrumental Music (Violin).
Career
Balabhaskar was a child prodigy and started doing stage shows at 12. He became the youngest music director in the Malayalam film industry when he composed for the movie ''Mangalya Pallak'' (audio marketed by Magna Sound) at 17.[Hindu Metro Plus: On a high note Key notes]
/ref> His compositions for the albums ''Ninakaai'' and ''Aadyamai'' are still among the most-sought-after romantic song collections. He was exceptionally versed in Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
and hence was an exponent of the same. His flair for connecting with his audience has made him one of the hot favorites for major stage shows and classical concerts.
Balabhaskar has performed with many noted musicians and instrumentalists in India and abroad, including Ustad Zakir Hussain
Ustad Zakir Hussain (born 9 March 1951) is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer and film actor. He is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, and the Padma Bhushan in 2002, b ...
, Sivamani
Sivamani (1 December 1959), commonly known by his stage name Drums Sivamani, is an Indian percussionist. He plays many instruments including drums, octoban, darbuka, udukai, ghatam and kanjira. He performed drumming during the IPL Championships ...
, Louis Banks
Louis Banks (born Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi on 11 February 1941) is an Indian film composer, record producer, keyboardist, and singer. He has often been referred to as the 'Godfather of Indian jazz'.[Vikku Vinayakram
Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram (born 11 August 1942), also known as Vikku Vinayakram, is an Indian percussionist. He is also known as the God of ''ghatam''. He plays Carnatic music with the ''ghatam'', an earthen pot, and is credited with popula ...]
, etty Wap (singer) Hariharan, Mattannoor Sankarankutty, Ranjit Barot
Ranjit Barot (born 1959) is an Indian film score composer, music director, music arranger, drummer and singer based in Mumbai, India. He is a longtime associate of A. R. Rahman.
He has been described by guitar legend John McLaughlin as "one of ...
, Fazal Qureshi, and so on. He also performed with his guru and uncle Shri B. Sasikumar
B. Sasikumar is a noted Carnatic music violinist, musician, teacher, composer and writer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Profile
B. Sasikumar was born on 27 April 1949 in Thiruvalla, to M. K. Bhaskara Panicker and G. Sarojini Amma.
...
, as violin duo in Carnatic concerts.
Latest works
Balabhaskar's debut instrumental fusion album was ''let it B'' in 2011. It features renowned musicians including Sivamani, Louis Banks, Fazal Qureshi, Gino Banks and Sheldon D'Silva. ''Let it B'' has flavors of rock, jazz, hip-hop and techno music spun around Balabhaskar's Indian violin. The album uses specially composed Sanskrit lyrics, in an effort to promote Sanskrit as a language of communication. Two songs, "Begin with Soorya" and "B yond," have been visualized and are available along with the visuals of the making in the limited edition series. The album is produced under the banner of MC Audios and Videos.
Balabhaskar brought out a collection of soothing Carnatic Keertanas colored in his style, lending it an international flavor. The project is called Bhajati in 2011 and is marketed by Audio Tracs.
Personal life
Balabhaskar was born to C. K. Unni who was a postmaster and Santhakumari; Sanskrit lecturer of Sree Swathi Thirunal College of Music on 10 July 1978. He was married to his longtime girlfriend Lakshmi on 20 December 2000. Their only daughter, Thejaswini Bala, born on 21 April 2017, died on 25 September 2018, when the family met with an accident in Pallipuram, near Thiruvananthapuram. Singer Madhu Balakrishnan
Madhu Balakrishnan is an Indian playback singer who sings in different languages Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada.
Personal life
Madhu Balakrishnan was born on 24 June 1974 to Balakrishnan and Leelavathy at Paravur, Eranakulam. His earlier ...
is his first cousin.
Death
Balabhaskar sustained multiple injuries due to a car accident which occurred at Pallippuram on the NH-66 in the early hours of 25 September 2018, which also injured his wife and killed their daughter, and was admitted to the Ananthapuri Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, following which two surgeries were done. His condition was improving while continuing on life support, but he died suddenly of cardiac arrest on 2 October 2018
Almost 22 months after his death, the Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmen ...
took up the probe, for which an FIR has now been lodged by the agency.
Awards
Balabhaskar was the recipient of the Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeetkaar Puraskaar in 2008 by Kendra Sangeet Natak Academy for Instrumental Music (Violin).
Discography
Apart from his concerts and stage shows, Balabhaskar gave music to ad films, movies, tele-serial titles and albums in Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit languages.
References
[https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2005/01/29/stories/2005012903070100.htm ]
External links
Official website
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Balabhaskar on a high
New Universe Music Festival USA - Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balabhaskar
Composers for violin
Indian violinists
1978 births
2018 deaths
Musicians from Thiruvananthapuram
Road incident deaths in India