KASARGOD: Legendary singer KJ Yesudas celebrated his 80th birthday by offering prayers at the Kollur Mookambika temple in Udupi district of Karnataka. He was accompanied by wife Prabha and two sons. For the past 40 years, the family has been making the annual pilgrimage to the temple on his birthday. They performed special pujas at the Saraswati temple.
Several hundred fans gathered at the temple to greet the singer on the special day. “We see a similar rush at Kollur during the Navaratri festival,” said Krishnan, a Yesudas fan and a devotee, who was at the temple. Yesudas, known as ‘Gana Gandharvan’ or the Celestial Singer, reached the temple in the morning and took part in the rituals and prayers. Later, he joined singer Kanhangad Ramachandran who has been performing at the temple as a tribute to Yesudas.
Every year, Ramachandran makes the ‘musical offering’ to Goddess Mookambika on Yesudas’ birthday for his continued long life. He started the practice in 2000, on the 60th birthday of Yesudas. Yesudas also attended the Souparnikamritham Award ceremony, which is an annual feature on his birthday at Kollur. He presented the award to this year’s winner T S Radhakrishnan, composer of devotional and filmy music.
PM wishes doyen on his birthday
T’Puram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished singer K J Yesudas on his 80th birthday on Friday. In a tweet, PM said, “On the special occasion of his 80th birthday, greetings to the versatile singer K J Yesudas ji. Melodious music and soulful renditions have made him popular across all age groups. He has made valuable contributions to Indian culture. Wishing him a long and healthy life.”