Kerala - Alappuzha   

Artiste regrets lost chance to play before the President

A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA: Nonagenarian mridangam artiste T.R. Moorthy is regretful that he would not be able to meet the first citizen of the country A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he visits Alappuzha on Saturday.

Mr. Moorthy, who has accompanied doyens of Carnatic music such as N.C. Vasanta Kokilam, Tiger Varadachari and Maharajapuram Santhanam, had received an invitation to play before the President during his visit to the State in November 2003. However, weeks before Mr. Kalam was to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Moorthy met with an accident and broke his legs. But, he managed to have an audience with the President at Raj Bhavan. According to Mr. Moorthy, the President had promised to meet him during his next visit to the State.

Recounting his meeting with the first citizen, the 93-year-old artiste said he sent a letter to Rashtrapathi Bhavan in 2003 pointing out that he was the only person who continued to play mridangam in concerts at the age of 90. "Following that, I got an opportunity to play before the President," he said.

"But weeks before the appointed date, I suffered a fall and broke my legs."

Mr. Moorthy, however, managed to meet the president at Raj Bhavan. "Though the President gave me only 10 minutes, we spoke for about 30 minutes, he recalled. He requested the President to help him form an old age home and allot funds for music therapy experiments, which, he claimed, could cure many diseases.

"The President had then promised to meet me during his next visit to the State and had also referred my suggestion on music therapy to the Union Health Ministry." Though the Ministry sent me some papers in this regard, nothing materialised."

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Artiste regrets lost chance to play before the President

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