Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy (9 December 1919 – 2 August 2013) was a veteran
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 ...
ian and composer and music director of
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 ...
,
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, nativ ...
and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
films, predominantly in
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, ...
s. He has set scores for the songs in over 125 films. He composed as many as 1400 songs over a period of 63 years. Fondly known as Swami, he was instrumental in pioneering classical music-based film songs. Revered as one of the forefathers of the Malayalam music industry, he has mentored many of the renowned contemporary singers and composers including
P Leela and
K.J Yesudas. In 1998, he was honoured with the
J. C. Daniel Award,
Kerala government
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Biography
Dakshinamoorthy was born in a
Tamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as wel ...
family on 9 December 1919
as Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy Iyer, to Parvathiammal and D. Venkateswara Iyer a Bank Officer, at
Mullakkal
Mullakkal is an area in Alappuzha district in the state of Kerala, India. It is part of Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in state of Kerala, India. The Backwaters of Alappuzha ...
in
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 ...
,
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. He was the eldest among the seven children of his parents, whom he funnily described as 'those like seven notes'. He had two brothers and four sisters. His interest in music was nurtured by his mother, who taught him ''
keerthana
Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance art ...
s'' of ''
Thyagaraja Swamikal'' when he was still a child. He had grasped at least 27 songs just by hearing them when they were being rendered by his mother and sister. When he was ten years old, Venkatachalam Potti in Trivandrum taught him Carnatic music and the tutelage continued for three years. His first public performance was when he was 13 years old, at the Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna temple. It was his habit to offer prayers to "Vaikkathappa Annadhaana Prabho" or
Lord Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
daily, in the morning, and before going to bed. His primary schooling was in Sanaathana Dharma Vidyashaala, Allepey, till 5th standard. He continued in Kiliparam School. He completed his HSC at Shri Moola Vilasa High School, Trivandrum, then he decided that music has to be his future. After finishing S.S.L.C., he learned
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 ...
from Venkatachalam Potty in
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 ...
. Swami came to Vaikom at the age of 16, practiced and taught music. During that period when he was 20-22, he received "The Nirmaalya Darshan" of Vaikathappan for three and a half years continuously. This feat played a big part in his route to greatness.
The Marriage at Vaikom
There is an incident which happened in Ambalapuzha. One midnight as Ambalapuzha was lashed by torrential rain, ganjira vidwan Kaduva Krishnan knocked at the doors of Dakshinamoorthy's house, inviting him to perform at a marriage kutcheri at Vaikkom the next day. His mother permitted him to do so and the two walked up to the Karumaadi boat jetty at Ambalapuzha and reached Vaikkom the next morning, 8 a.m. After having a bath and a good darshan of Vaikkathappa's, they reached Kaidarathu Madam for the concert. On the request of Kochi-based Konkini Tavil Vidwan to teach music to his relatives, Dakshinamoorthy remained at Vaikkom. He stayed there for 42 months and during this stay, he would sing daily at the temple, attend Nirmalya Darsanam and sang on all Ashtamis at the temple.
Music career
Entry into film industry
In 1948, he came to Chennai with his parents. He married Shrimathi Kalyani on 28 January 1948. He entered the film world in 1948. He debuted in the film industry in 1950 with ''
Nalla Thanka
''Nalla Thanka'' is a 1950 Indian Malayalam-language mythological film directed by P. V. Krishna Iyer and produced by K. V. Koshy and Kunchacko under the banner of Udaya Studios and K & K Combines. It was the second film produced at the Udaya St ...
'', produced by
Kunchacko
Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. His venture Udaya Studios influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its origi ...
and K. V. Koshy under the banner of ''K & K Productions''. The hero of the film was Augustin Joseph, a well-known stage actor and singer, who was also the father of renowned singer
K. J. Yesudas. The film also had songs sung by Augustin Joseph. The producers wanted Dakshinamoorthy to compose a song on Lord Vinayaka and that was the first song he began his film industry career with. He also composed music for "The Opera" at Kalamandalam during the same period, where he graced through 8 Operas and 30 dance dramas
Film career
Dakshinamoorthy went on to set scores for
K. J. Yesudas, his son
Vijay Yesudas
Vijay Yesudas (born 23 March 1979) is an Indian playback singer and actor. He has sung over 1000 film songs. Vijay works predominantly in the South Indian film industry, mostly in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi. He is the son of ...
(for the film ''Idanazhiyil Oru Kalocha'', directed by Bhadran) and his granddaughter Ameya (for the film ''Shyama Raagam'', awaiting release) as well, thus achieving a rare treat.
He set the scores for many songs written by
Sreekumaran Thampi
Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel ...
and
Abhayadev
Abhayadev (25 June 1913 – 26 July 2000) was an Indian poet and lyricist during the 1970s in Malayalam movies. He wrote lyrics for around 500 films and dialogues for 25 Malayalam movies. He was born as Ayyappan Pillai, to Karimalil Kesava Pillai ...
, forming a famous musician-songwriter duo like the
Vayalar Ramavarma
Vayalar Ramavarma (March 25, 1928 – October 27, 1975), also known as Vayalar, was an Indian poet and lyricist of Malayalam language. He was known for his poems which include ''Sargasangeetham'', ''Mulankaadu'', ''Padamudrakal'', ''Aayisha'' a ...
–
G. Devarajan
Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He sco ...
and
P. Bhaskaran
Pulloottupadathu Bhaskaran alias as P. Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 25 February 2007), was a Malayalam poet, lyricist of Malayalam film songs, and filmmaker. He penned more than 3000 songs for about 250 films. He also directed 44 Malayalam fea ...
–
Baburaj
Mohammad Sabir Baburaj was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs.
Early years
Baburaj was born on 9 March 1929 in Kozhikod ...
duos. He had
R. K. Shekhar, father of the music director
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
as his assistant for a few films, who later became a musician in his own right. He went on to direct music for over 125 films including ''Navalokam, Seetha, Viyarppinte Vila, Sri Guruvayoorappan, Kadamattathachan'' and ''Indulekha''.
His evergreen compositions include ''Swapnangal... Swapnangale ningal...''(''Kavyamela''), ''Pattu padiyurakkan njan...''(''Seetha''), ''Uthara swayamvaram...''(Danger Biscuit), ''Kattile pazhmulam...''(''Vilaykku Vangiya Veena''), Hrudaya Saralie, Chandrikayil, Kaatile Paalmulam, Manohari Nin, Sowgandhigangale, Aakashamand ''Vathil pazhuthilooden...''(''Idanazhiyil Oru Kalocha'').
He was
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
of many singers and Music Directors including
P. Leela
Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, ...
,
P. Susheela
Pulapaka Susheela (born 13 November 1935), popularly known as P. Susheela, is an Indian playback singer associated with the South Indian cinema primarily from Andhra Pradesh for over six decades. She is one of the greatest and best-known playba ...
, Kalyani Menon and
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...
. In 1971 he won the
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
for Best Music Director.
The duo of Swami and Srikumaran Thambi contributed countless chart toppers to the Malayalam Film Industry. In 2003, he received the coveted 'Sangeetha Saraswathi' Award from the hands of revered Poojya Sri Guruji Viswanath of Manava Seva Kendra, Bangalore. In the year 2008, he composed four songs for the Malayalam movie ''
Mizhikal Sakshi''.
Even at the age of 93, his endeavours towards music had not slowed down. He was working on a movie project, "Shyama Raagam", rendering music for the same.
Performances
His first trip to Madras was in 1942, when he was to sing in a 30-minute programme on AIR. He was a regular visitor to the AIR for the next 4 years after which he settled in Mylapore in 1948. Between 1942 and 1957, he performed around 500 carnatic concerts in Kerala. He has also performed at international venues such as the Dubai Dala Festival at Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. "Dakshinamurthy Sangeetha Utsavam" has been taking place every year since 2013 at Perungotukara.
Disciples
His disciples included talented singers like N.C. Vasantakokilam, Kaviyoor Revamma, Kalyani Menon, Ambili, Mithun, Srilatha, Shereen Peters, Bhavadhaarini, Mithun Jayaraj etc.
Singers/Composers
Generations of singers have sung under the Bheeshmacharya of Indian Music including, P. Leela, Kamukara Purushothaman, Balamurali Krishna, K.J.Yesudas, P.B. Srinivas, Ghantashaala, T.M.S., S.P.B., Augustin Joseph, Jeyachandran, A.M. Raja, Vijay Yesudas and his daughtera, M.L.V, P. Susheela,
S. Janaki
Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...
, L.R. Eashwari, Madhuri, Ambili, Kalyani Menon, K.S. Chitra, Vaani Jeyaram, Sujatha, Madhubala Krishnan,
Unni Krishnan
Parakkal Unnikrishnan (born 9 July 1966) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and playback singer.
Early life and background
Unnikrishnan was born to K. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Harini Radhakrishnan in Palakkad, Kerala.
The family home, Kesari Kutee ...
, Krishnaraj, Minmini, Swetha,
Unni Menon
Unni Menon (born 2 December 1955) is an Indian film playback singer. He has recorded over 4000 songs in many Indian languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.S.S.KavutaA melodious journey The Hindu. Retrieved 29 November 2008 In ...
,
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 ...
,
Jolly Abraham
Jolly Abraham, also known as Jollee Abraham, is an Indian gospel singer and film singer in Malayalam cinema. He sang more than 100 Malayalam movie songs during the 1970s and 1980s. His debut song was for ''Chattambikalyani'' in 1973. He was bor ...
,
Biju Narayanan
Biju Narayanan () is an Indian playback singer active mainly in Malayalam films.
Career
Biju Narayanan trained in Carnatic music under Aryanad Sadasivan for eight years. He began his music career singing tracks for P. Jayachandran, Unni M ...
, and
Manjari.
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...
, R. K. Shekhar (father of A.R. Rahman) and many more composers have been assistants in Swami's music recording sessions.
Introductions
Dakshinamoorthy is to be highly credited for his introduction of P. Suseela to Malayalam cinema through 'Seetha'. The song 'Pattu Paadi Urakkam' sung by P. Suseela in that film is still popular in Kerala. He also introduced other singers such as Ambili, K.P. Brahmanandham, Shereen Peters, Vinodhini, Sree Latha, Kalyani Menon, etc.
Books
He has written three books namely Thiagabrahmam (Tamil – 1965), Aathma Dheepam (Tamil – 1989) and Sathya Mithram (Malayalam – 1992).
His private masterpieces bearing 108 of his own compositions (Keerthanas) was released as book during his first death anniversary at Makreri Temple, Kerala with the name "Raagaabharanam" honouring his priceless contribution to the field of music.
Pious nature
A devout
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
throughout his life, Dakshinamoorthy started his speeches telling ''Sarvacharacharangalkkum Namaskaram, Charachara Guruvinum Namaskaram'' (Welcome to all the living and non-living creatures in the world, and also to their teacher). He was a devotee of Lord
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
of
Vaikom Temple
The Sree Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Vaikom, Kerala, India.
The temple, along with the Ettumanoor Shiva Temple and the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple is considered a powerful place of Shiva. The belief i ...
in
Kottayam district
Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...
, after whom he was named, and he celebrated his 60th, 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays by offering ''Sahasrakalasham'' at Vaikom Temple. He was also a devotee of Lord
Guruvayurappan
Guruvayurappan ( ml, ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പന്, (transliterated guruvāyūrappan)) also often rendered Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple, w ...
, and used to visit
Guruvayur temple
Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Guruvayurappan, a form of Vishnu, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamilnadu, Tamil Nadu and is often ...
too. Being a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
, he was a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
as he adhered to the traditional diet. He offered his wooden model of the
Sabarimala Temple
The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...
inside which he worshipped his revered idols to the
Subrahmanya
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
-
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
temple at Makreri in
Kannur district. The Saraswathi Mandapam is now a home ground bearing all the crowning jewels of his lifetime achievement in the form of Awards and Trophies. The Thiagaraaja Akandam started at Makreri Ambalam and has been taking place for more than 12 years.
Awards
* 2019 –
Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention
The Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention is an award presented at the Kerala State Film Awards of India.
Recipients
See also
* Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award
The Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award is an ...
(
posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' (E ...
) –
Shyamaragam (Music director)
* 2013 –
Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram –
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
* 2010 – Ramashramam Unneerikutty Award
* 2010 –
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
by
Mahatma Gandhi University
* 2010 – Lifetime Achievement Award – Mirchi
* 2008 –
Amrita TV
Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam Language general Entertainment television channel owned by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. It was launched in 2005.
Theme song
The theme song, "Lokasamastha," was composed by Rahulraj for Mata Amritanandamayi's 50t ...
Award
* 2007 –
Swaralaya Yesudas Award
Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award (or usually referred to as Yesudas Award) is an award for music artists in recognition to their outstanding performance. The award is instituted jointly by ''Swaralaya'', an organization that promotes music and Kair ...
for lifetime contributions to Malayalam film music
* 2003 - Abhaya Dev Award 2003 for outstanding contribution for Indian Music
* 2000 - "Kalakairali Award 1998-99" for Human integration
* 1998 –
J. C. Daniel Award from the
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
* 1998 - Golden Jubilee Award from Film Fans Association, Madras
* 1997 - The First "Kamukara Award’" presented by Vice-President Shri K.R. Narayanan
* 1997 - Vayalar Memorial Cultural Award 1997" by Kala Kairali and Vayalar Memorial Cultural Award Academy
* 1990 - Cine Technicians’ Platinum Jubilee of Indian Cinema 1913-1988 for outstanding contributions to Cinema
* 1990 - The Prestigious Cinema Technicians Association of South India, Ramnath Award
* 1990 - Madras Kerala Samajam Award
* 1982 - Fellowship from Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy
* 1981 - Indian Talkies Golden Jubilee Award & Gold Medal" for ''50 Years of dedicated service in Indian Cinema'', from the President of India, Shri. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddi
* 1971 –
Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director
The Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have be ...
for ''
Vilakku Vangiya Veena
''Vilakku Vangiya Veena'' is a 1971 Indian Malayalam film, directed and produced by P. Bhaskaran. The film stars Prem Nazir, Madhu, Sharada, Usha and KPAC Lalitha in the lead roles. The film had musical score by V. Dakshinamoorthy.
Plot ...
'', ''
Marunnattil Oru Malayali
''Marunnattil Oru Malayali'' is a 1971 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film, directed by A. B. Raj and produced by T. E. Vasudevan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Adoor Bhasi, Prameela and Sankaradi. It was released on 24 September 1971. The film w ...
'' and ''
Muthassi''
* 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 - Film Fans Association Award
* 1961 - Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award
Titles
Honours
Discography
Death
Despite his advanced age and failing health, Dakshinamoorthy continued to work in musical field, and composed songs for many albums. In July 2013, he made his last achievement as a composer - giving songs for four generations in a single family. This happened through giving a chance to Ameya Vijay, the daughter of Vijay Yesudas and granddaughter of K. J. Yesudas. Dakshinamoorthy gave songs to Yesudas' father Augustine Joseph, a veteran drama actor and singer, in his very first film in 1950. He later used Yesudas to sing most of his songs. He also introduced Vijay Yesudas in 1987 through a sloka in the film '
Idanazhiyil Oru Kalocha'.
Dakshinamoorthy died at his home in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
at 6:30 PM on 2 August 2013, at the age of 93. He died peacefully in his sleep, which is considered auspicious for Hindus. His death was also on an
Ekadashi
Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of each of the two lunar phases which occur in an Vedic calendar month - the '' Shukla Pakṣa'' (the period of the brightening moon also known as the waxing phase) and the ''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa ...
day, which is also considered auspicious. He had plans to visit his daughter's home nearby along with his wife, and when he heard that the driver of the taxi in which he was to go would be late, he went to sleep. When the car arrived, his wife wondered why her husband was not ready. Then she went to call her husband, who did not respond. Death was confirmed soon, citing a
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
as the possible cause of death.
Dakshinamoorthy was cremated with full state honours at Besant Nagar electric crematorium. Thousands of famous people attended his funeral. The then Kerala State Cultural Minister
K. C. Joseph represented the Kerala state. He is survived by his three children - two daughters and a son. Kalyani Ammal, his wife of 65 years, died on 22 October 2021, aged 91.
Notes
References
External links
*
Musical Colossus, The HinduV Dakshinamoorthy- A biography by DakshinV Dakshinamoorthy composing at the age of 93Music composer V Dakshinamoorthy's divine musical journeyPlaylist of Swami's keerthanas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dakshinamoorthy, Venkateshwara
1919 births
2013 deaths
Carnatic composers
Carnatic instrumentalists
Male Carnatic singers
Carnatic singers
Malayalam film score composers
Kerala State Film Award winners
20th-century Indian musicians
Musicians from Alappuzha
Indian male film score composers
20th-century Indian male singers
20th-century Indian singers
J. C. Daniel Award winners