BENGALURU: Amusical evening will unfold today at Ravindra Kalakshetra, in honour sugama sangeeta artiste Y K Muddukrishna, who has performed alongside greats like Mysore Ananthaswamy and C Ashwath.
Born in Yeda Kere, a tiny village near Hassan, on June 5, 1947, Muddukrishna was exposed to the rich Yakshagana culture right from his childhood. In 1956, as a teenager, he was initiated into folk and ‘light’ music genres by the legendary Karim Khan.
Words of encouragement by sugama sangeeta pioneer P Kalinga Rao went a long way in shaping Muddukrishna’s journey as an artiste.
The cassette revolution, which heralded the birth of ‘non-filmi’ genres, also nurtured his talent.
Muddukrishna, known as YKM, collaborated with the likes of C Ashwath, Mysore Ananthaswamy and H K Narayana in the early 1980s.
Over the decades, he has performed all over the world. In a concert tour to the USA in 1998, his troupe performed in 18 cities, in the august presence of renowned poet Prof G S Shivarudrappa. In a rare sort of performance, Y K Muddukrishna and his team delighed around 500 people en route to the Grand Canyon, California, on a chilly winter day.
C Ashwath and Muddukrishna’s efforts in presenting Kuvempu’s Manuja Matha — Vishwa Patha to spread the message of universal brotherhood remains a unique experience for lovers of Kannada culture. It was rendered by 1,000 singers at the National College Grounds.
His stint as director of Kannada Culture Department was also eventful. The Kannada Bhavan on JC Road is a testimony to his tireless efforts in that direction.
But the game changer was the setting up of Karnataka Sugama Sangeetha Parishat in 2003. Over the last decade, it has reached out to every nook and corner of the state, striving to introduce, initiate and mentor, young talent.
Karnataka Sugama Sangeetha Parishat is honouring him on Wednesday by hosting a show at Ravindra Kalakshetra at 5 pm.
The release of a special edition CD, with a collection of YKM’s works will be followed by the launch of website www.YKMudduKrishna.com. A book, encompassing 70 eventful years in the popular singer’s life, will also be unveiled.