KOCHI: It was a trip down memory lane for patients at the Ernakulam Government General Hospital here on Wednesday when renowned theatre and playback singer Thoppil Anto sang melodies from yesteryear Malayalam movies and dramas.
He also shared interesting anecdotes from his theatre life. “Every living being on earth falls sick. Ailments or diseases should never dispirit us and we should not allow illness to affect our mind,” said Thoppil Anto.
Though Anto himself is a heart patient, he danced to the music as audience cheered. Thoppil Anto, a towering presence in Kerala’s music field, especially in theatre songs and light music, has earned several awards and recognitions both at home and abroad in a career spanning five decades.
He has won many awards including the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award for light music (1982), the Pravasi Pranava Dhwani Puraskar (2010) and the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram award. Anto has been the playback singer for several films such as Father Damien (1963), Anubhavangale Nandi (1976), Sneham Oru Pravaham (1979) and Veenapoovu (1982). He also served as a light music artist with the All-India Radio Thrissur in the 1960s. The programmes organised under the
‘Arts and Medicine’ project of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) and was the 27th programme in the series.