THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “If God offers to grant me a wish, I would pray that as an artist I should never be a mercenary. I should be able to continue like this till my death.”
This was how Soorya Krishnamoorthy, 75, chose to portray his life in a free-wheeling chat with TNIE for Express Dialogues a couple of years ago. An artist-turned-art connoisseur, he lived a life upholding the virtues he held dear until the end.
The renowned cultural icon and the architect behind Keralam’s biggest cultural fiesta for nearly five decades passed away at 6.45pm on Wednesday at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been undergoing treatment for lung-related issues for the past few years.
A space scientist-turned-artist, Krishnamoorthy founded the Soorya Stage and Film Society and was the brain behind Soorya Festival, the annual event that entered the Limca Book of Records as Asia’s largest and longest-running cultural festival.
He is credited with nurturing hundreds of artists through the fest. For him, celebrity status was never the criteria for choosing artists for the festival. Instead, he went by talent and dedication to devote months towards practising.
The former chairperson of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Krishnamoorthy, during his artistic career spanning over five decades, served as the writer-director of numerous plays that were staged across the globe.
He leaves behind an irreplaceable legacy
A playwright whose works sparked discussions, Krishnamoorthy was the one who introduced the light and sound show in Keralam. A multi-faceted personality, he wrote the screenplay for Suresh Gopi-starrer ‘Melvilasam’ (2011).
Born to P Nataraja Pillai and C Saraswathi Amma on April 11, 1951, in Kottayam as Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, he later attached ‘Soorya’ to his name, a testimony to his inseparable bond with the society he formed and the festival he founded.
A graduate from TKM College of Engineering in Kollam, he served with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as scientist, having picked by acclaimed scientist and former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. He also worked with Dr Kalam briefly.
Soorya took the plunge into arts and culture while serving with ISRO and later took voluntarily retirement after a two-decade long service. In 1977, he founded Soorya Festival. Singer K J Yesudas and Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam were its active participants before the pandemic.
Krishnamoorthy won many laurels, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. An artist who considered humility as the greatest goodness in humans, Krishnamoorthy leaves behind an irreplaceable legacy, one that Keralam will remember forever. The cremation will be held at at Thycaud Santhi Kavadam at 6.45pm on Thursday.