The Maharajapuram Santhanam Memorial Award 2012 was conferred upon maestro Mandolin U Srinivas at a function here on Saturday.
The award, instituted by the Maharajapuram Santhanam Foundation, was handed over to Srinivas by leading violinist, Sangeetha Kalanidhi T N Krishnan. The award comprised a gold medal and `1 lakh in cash.
The Maharajapuram Santhanam Meritorious Awards, instituted by Preetha Reddy and P Vijayakumar Reddy, in memory of his father, industrialist and arts patron P Obul Reddy, were given to Carnatic vocalist Vidhushi Vasudha Keshav, veena player S Srinivasan and mridanga vidwan R Ramesh. The awards comprised a cash prize of `5,000.
Presiding over the function, Music Academy president N Murali recalled the popularity of Maharajapuram Santhanam, saying TV screens were placed outside the hall for the first time when he performed at the Academy in the 1980s. “That was a reflection of his popularity and greatness,” he said.
Conferring the awards, violinist T N Krishnan described Srinivas’s music as creative, spontaneous and melodious. “It flows naturally. There is no strain,” he said.