CHENNAI: R Srinivasan, a columnist for the Express for several decades, passed away on Friday.
A highly-regarded music and dance critic, he wrote short, quotidian columns covering a broad spectrum of topics — with special emphasis on the ‘Vishishtadvaita Bhakti Margam’ stream of Indian philosophy. Along with the late R Rangachari who had earlier served in the same capacity, the father-son duo wrote well over 10,000 articles on religio-philosophical topics in the Express.
Starting in the late 1990s and carrying over into the new millennium, Srinivasan, fondly called as ‘RS’, reviewed music and dance performances, mostly pertaining to the Chennai sabha culture, for Express. He also served in the TTD Zonal Advisory Committee on Arts and Culture in Chennai, helping arrange music and dance programmes at the TTD Centre in T Nagar, Chennai, on a regular basis.
Musicians and dancers continue to gratefully acknowledge the support provided by Srinivasan to budding performers. He is survived by wife Sumathi and sons Ashok and Bharat. Madras Reporters Guild expressed its condolences for the members of the bereaved family. Information Minister MP Saminathan condoled the demise of Srinivasan. The minister, in a statement, hailed his contributions as a critic for many decades.