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Child prodigy-turned-master musician Mandolin U. Shrinivas (45) passed away on September 19, 2014 following a failed liver transplant.
Hailing from Palakol in Andhra Pradesh, Uppalapu Shrinivas, born on February 28, 1969, showed an uncanny interest in his father Sathyanarayana's mandolin at a very young age. He stormed the Carnatic music scene with his first public performance in 1978 and since then there was no looking back.
Known for having adapted a difficult electric western instrument to the Carnatic stage with awe-inspiring success, Shrinivas impressed pundits and lay listeners alike. He was the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award.
Apart from traditional Carnatic concerts, Shrinivas was a favourite with other well-known global artistes such as John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman and Michael Brook. His familiarity with crossover genres made him an automatic choice. He distinguished himself in collaborations with artistes of the calibre of Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Sivamani, Vikku Vinaykram and Dominique Piazza.
Shrinivas is survived by his father and brother Mandolin U. Rajesh.
Music historian V. Sriram reports:
It is not often that it is given to someone to introduce a new instrument into a traditional art such as Carnatic Music and yet be welcomed with open arms. The violin took over a century to become mainstream. Mandolin U Shrinivas was a sensation. His debut in Madras as a cherubic youngster in the 1980s was phenomenal. The first performance was at the Indian Fine Arts Society closely followed by one at the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha where even veterans such as Semmangudi praised him. He became a star and remained one, taking the mandolin to unforeseen heights.
And yet, in his dealings with people he was humility personified. That he should have passed away when the greatest of honours were yet to come his way only shows that we as music lovers are an unfortunate lot. Truly those whom the Gods love die young.
(This report first appeared in The Hindu online edition of September 19, 2014)
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