Malabar Gopalan Radhakrishnan (29 July 1940 – 2 July 2010) was an Indian

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

and Carnatic vocalist from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Personal life

M. G. Radhakrishnan was born on 29 July 1940 at

Haripad Haripad is a Municipality in ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha District, Kerala, India located between Alappuzha and Kollam on the National Highway 66. Haripad is bordered on the east by Pallippad, Veeyapuram and Karuvatta to the north ...

, in Alappuzha district,

as the eldest of three children of

music 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 harmonist Malabar Gopalan Nair and

Harikatha ''Harikatha'' (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu and Tamil (), is a form of Hindu tradition ...

exponent Kamalakshi Amma. He studied at the S. D. College,

Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...

, and undertook ''Ganabhooshanam'' from

Swathi Thirunal College of Music Swathi Thirunal College of Music is a music college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1939. It was first named as "The Music Academy". The name was renamed as Swathi Thirunal College of Music in 1962. The founder of this ...

. K. J. Yesudas was one of his classmates there. His younger brother

M. G. Sreekumar Malabar Gopalan Sreekumar (born 25 May 1957), better known as M.G. Sreekumar is an Indian playback singer, composer, music producer, television presenter and film producer, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. He has sung more than 2000 ...

is a

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

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 ...

and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

cinema and his younger sister

K. Omanakutty Kamalakshi Omanakutty is an academician, music teacher and carnatic vocalist noted for her research and publications in the field of music. Her research on Kathakali music led to her doctorate in this field. She currently serves as professor a ...

is a carnatic vocalist and academic. He died on 2 July 2010 at KIMS hospital in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

due to liver disease, less than a month short of his 70th birthday.

Career

M. G. Radhakrishnan was a disciple of Sree Vidyadhiraja Hridayanjali, Chords & Notes
; The Hindu, 2002-11-28; ''Retrieved: 2007-09-03'' an Indian ascetic, and composed music for the ascetic's lyrics, which was sung by his younger sister Dr. K Omanakutty, a Carnatic vocalist. In his official capacity, Radhakrishnan worked as a staff and become the senior music composer (Grade 1) in Akashvani,

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. In 1962, he joined

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

as music composer. He used to conduct a 15-minute light music class through AIR. He made his debut in cinema as a playback singer through "''Unniganapathiye...''" from ''Kallichellamma'' (1969), which had music composed by

K. Raghavan K. Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also fondly called Raghavan Master, was a Malayalam music composer and Carnatic Vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is often credited for the renaissance ...

. His songs as a vocalist include "''Sharike Sharike''" from ''Sharashayya'', "''Pallanayattin Theerathu''" from ''Ningalenne Communist Aakki'' etc. He performed at N S S Headquarters at

Changanassery Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. History The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...

and at Karrikkakom Chamundeswary Temple at

. He then focussed at composing light music. His debut film as a music director was

G. Aravindan Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmma ...

's ''Thampu'' (1978). He then did ''

Thakara ''Thakara'' is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Bharathan and written by Padmarajan. It stars Prathap Pothan, Surekha, Nedumudi Venu and K. G. Menon in pivotal roles. The film was a breakthrough in the career of Bharathan ...

'' (1980). Songs from this film, ''Mouname Mouname'' and ''Kudayolam Bhoomi'' won him several accolades and fame. The other major works by him include ''Adwaitham'', ''Devasuram'', ''Manichithrathazhu'', ''Rakkuyilin Rajasadassil'' and ''Ananthabhadram'', which was his last work. He has also composed the poems of

Kamala Surayya Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity ...

, an Indian writer, through the album ''Surayya Padunnu''.Radhakrishnan introduced

K. S. Chithra Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963), always credited as K. S. Chithra or Chithra, is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over four decades, she has recorded over 25,000 songs in various In ...

, a singer and a student of Omanakutty, to the film and music industry by employing her in the film ''Attahaasam''.

Death

Radhakrishnan died from

liver cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

on 2 July 2010 at KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was admitted there a week ago after his condition worsened, and was in ventilator since then. He was less than a month short of his 70th birthday when he died. He was cremated with full state honours at Thaikkad Santhikavadam electronic crematorium on the next day. His son

M. R. Rajakrishnan Medayil Radhakrishnan Rajakrishnan (born 25 May 1977) is an Indian Audiography, audiographer. He won the National Film Award for Best Audiography in 2019 for the film ''Rangasthalam'' (2018). He won Kerala State Film Award, Kerala State Film Awa ...

is a sound recordist). His wife Padmaja, who outlived him for nearly ten years, died on 15 June 2020 following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards

* 2005 – Best Music Director – Ananthabadram * 2001 – Best Music Director – Achaneyaanenikkishtam

Asianet Film Awards

* 2005 – Best Music Director Award – ''

Anandabhadram ''Anandabhadram'' (Anand's Bhadra) is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language dark fantasy horror film based on the novel of the same name by Sunil Parameshwaran. The film was the debut Malayalam film venture of director Santosh Sivan and actress Riy ...

'' * 2001 – Best Music Director Award – ''Kaate Vannu Vilichappol''

Filmography

References

External links

*
Official website of M. G. Radhakrishnan foundationM.G Radhakrishnan passes away

MG Radhakrishnan at MSI

Remembering M. G. Radhakrishnan - K. S. Chithra
(in Malayalam)
Remembering M. G. Radhakrishnan - Sreekumaran Thampi
(in Malayalam)
Remembering M. G. Radhakrishnan - Fazil
(in Malayalam)
Remembering M. G. Radhakrishnan - Johnson
(in Malayalam) {{DEFAULTSORT:Radhakrishnan, M. G. 1940 births 2010 deaths Deaths from cirrhosis Indian Hindus Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam film score composers 20th-century Indian composers People from Alappuzha district Indian male composers Film musicians from Kerala 21st-century Indian composers 21st-century Indian male classical singers 20th-century Indian male classical singers Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Singers from Kerala Male film score composers