CHENNAI: ‘Mridanga Chakravarti’ Palghat R Raghu passed away at his residence here on Tuesday. He was 81. He is survived by a son and two daughters.
Born on January 9, 1928 in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), Palghat R Raghu was a child prodigy even as he excelled in academics. In the initial years, he learnt mridangam from Thinniam Venkatrama Iyer and Tiruchy Raghava Iyer. Later, he became the sishya of the legendary Palaghat Mani Iyer.
He accompanied several generations of vocalists in his career spanning six decades.
Palghat R Raghu was conferred several honours including the Sangeeth Natak Akademi award in 1983, Padma Shri in 1985, Kalaimamani award and Sangeetha Choodamani award. He was the first recipient of Palaghat Mani Iyer award.
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