The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Industrialist Vasu's services to arts and culture recalled

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Industrialist Vasu's services to arts and culture recalled

Special Correspondent

He went out of the way to help artistes, says filmmaker

TRIBUTES: K. S. Bakthavatsalam, chairman, Chennai Kendra of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, R. Krishnaswami, secretary, Narada Gana Sabha, M. Balamuralikrishna, musician, and Krishnamurthy Srinivas, neurologist, at a function held in Chennai on Sunday to pay tributes to T.T. Vasu. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: : After a vocal concert by two young women, a sombre atmosphere set in at the Narada Gana Sabha for a gathering of friends, admirers of industrialist and connoisseur T.T. Vasu, who died early this month, to pay tributes.

Speakers from different backgrounds, such as K.S. Bakthavatsalam, chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai Kendra, veteran musician Balamuralikrishna and senior neurologist Krishnamurthy Srinivas, recalled the services of late Vasu in community health, fine arts and culture. They also spoke of the "less-known features" of his personality.

"He paid enormous attention to every detail concerning the Music Academy — electricity, carpentry... He would check whether or not air conditioners were working properly. One may ask in what way these aspects mattered. But, they are crucial in creating a proper climate for artistes to perform," said R. Krishnaswami, secretary, Narada Gana Sabha.

"Vasu was able to judge people from what they could contribute to the improvement of facilities at the Music Academy. At the same time, he would go all out to help artistes," recalled M. Saravanan, filmmaker.

On Vasu's relationship with the doyen of classical music Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, R. Ramachandran, secretary, Hamsadhwani, said "Semmangudi was so fond of him that he would joke repeatedly that he would be happy to be Vasu's guru if he (Vasu) would be his guru teaching him English."

K.V. Ramanathan, a schoolmate of Vasu at P.S. High School, Mylapore, in the 1940s, and a former civil servant, said his association with Vasu renewed in the late 1980s after he returned to Chennai. "I completed SSLC in 1942, and Vasu in 1944. The drive and enthusiasm with which he worked as president of the Music Academy were all evident when he was a school boy."

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, founder, Bharat Kalachar, said Vasu would also be remembered for providing a document containing the history and route maps of 108 Vaishnavite shrines.

Dr. Srinivas recalled how the late industrialist was keen on building and strengthening the Public Health Centre, particularly the neurology unit.

Dr. Balamuralikrishna and Mr Bakthavatsalam said: "The real tribute to him would be to revive and revitalise the Music Academy."

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