Techie writes on ephemeral masters

BENGALURU: As a techie, writer and a new mother, Krithika Srinivasan  comfortably dons all hats, and according to her, credit goes to the music she was introduced to her when she was five years old.   
This technical analyst at Infosys, along with her mother Geetha Srinivasan, has now co-authored a Kannada book called Alpaayushi Mahaa Saadhakaru (Ephemeral musicians who were achievors) where the extraordinary achievements of Karnataka Musicians are featured.

Life achievements of artists such as Mandolin Srinivasan, Jon B Higgins, GV Athri and other stalwarts have been featured through short summaries of two and a half pages each. “We wanted do a perfect job and hence we conducted a lot of research. Information from Ananya Library, Malleswaram and from kith and kin of the artists helped us bring out a better book. Infosys founder Sudha Murthy and writer Jogi launched the book,” she says.Born into a family of musicians and writers, Krithika’s mother Geetha Sreenivasan is a sitar player and a professor. Her father, M L Srinivasan is a flautist and microbiologist, and grandfather, Dr CN Ramachandran, a Kannada critic. Her sister Deepika Srinivasan is also an engineer and a successful mridangam player.

Whe she was five, Krithika started learning music under the guidance of Karnataka KalashreeVid.T S Vasantha Madhavi and is currently undergoing training in manodharma aspects and raga tana pallavi from Vid. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma. Well versed in folk music, light music and Carnatic Classical forms of singing, she is a B-graded artist who has successfully completed her Vidwat exams recently.
“I had to take the Vidwat exams, but my son was just one month old then. I was a bit reluctant, but later, with the support of my family, I could take up the Vidwat and clear it with 84 percent. It is because of the humility, creativity, perseverance and a constant thirst to learn a purest form of music that kept me going,” says Krithika.

Krithika has performed at Ganabharathi — Mysore, Tirupati Bramhotsava — Tirupathi, Alva’s Nudisiri at Mudabidri, DK Margazhi Utsav at various places in Chennai, Udyaanavanadalli Udayaraga and YuvaSaurabha of Department of Kannada and Culture, Chembai music festival — Guruvayoor, Seshadripuram Music Sabha, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Sri Jayarama Seva Mandali, Rajarajeswarinagar Cultural Association and many other sangeetasabhas.

She is a recipient of the music scholarship from the Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy for the year 2011-12 and has released a cassette, Chaitra, under the able guidance ofManjula Gururaj, and sung for many Carnatic Classical music cassettes under the guidance of Vid TSVasanta Madhavi.
A unique programme titled Ganga-Kaveri Gaana Sangama during November 27, 2016 was held, wherein the compositions included Sage Valmiki’s shlokas, Sri AdiShankaracharya’s verses, Vijayadaasa, Saint Thyagaraja, Meerabhajan, Kodawa composition and in various languages such as Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and Kodawa.

Krithika can be contacted on  96866 03825.