T.K.Govinda Rao No More

[pattu]

T.K.Govinda Rao passed away at Chennai this morning.
gOvindanAma sankIrtanam gOvindA gOvindA

[smala]

Very sorry to hear this. May he rest in peace.

[bilahari]

Condolences to his loved ones.

Bharath was just saying the other day that Sri TKG has sung the most memorable yamunAkalyANi he has ever heard, and I wondered if I would get a chance to listen to this vidwan live.

[PUNARVASU]

Very sorry to hear the news! Yet another 'jambavan' of CM left us!

[mahavishnu]

What a great loss! My sincere condolences to his family, disciples and the carnatic music community the world over.

[Ashwin]

The CM world has lost one of its last windows to the pristine music of the past. Rohin and I were fortunate to have learned from TKG Mama, and can never forget the lessons we learned. More than can be described in words. A great loss, perhaps too great.

Ashwin

[rbharath]

thats so shocking to know..

my deepest condolences.

but considering his health since a few months, it was coming..

[cienu]

A great loss to the world of music. Condolences to family members.

[rajeshnat]

Condolences to Shri TK Govinda rao and his family members

[srikant1987]

This is very sad.

Even I never got to listen to him live.

Condolences to family members and disciples.

[gardabha_gana]

Very sad news indeed. Condolences.

[Lakshman]

My sincere condolences to the famly.

[thanjavooran]

Very sorry to hear the news. CM has lost a musicologist and a musician. Definitely there will be a vacuum in MA this year. Condolences to his family members and disciples.
Thanjavooran 18 09 2011

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Sorry to hear this!

I have enjoyed his version of enta veDukOndu (saraswati manOhari rAga) immensely.

[mohan]

Another big loss to the music community. Sincere condolences to his near and dear.

[arasi]

Yes, yet another loss of a veteran in the CM world.
We will miss seeing his dignified and pleasant presence, gracing the Sangeetha Kalanidhi row at the Academy.
He suffered failing health the past several months--and his family suffered seeing him fade away.
Condolences to his family and to his students.

[rasaali]

Great loss! Great man and muisician. I have had the fortune of having some fantastic interactions with him these last few years. Condolences to his family. He will be sorely missed.

[ksrimech]

Indeed a great loss to the CM world. He will be sorely missed. May TKG Mama rest in peace! Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

[srkris]

May he be remembered among the larger community of Carnatic music rasikas forever!

[mri_fan]

A great loss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4eE7sVAz2U

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

A great teacher and a genuine torch-bearer of the Musiri style lost!! His contributions on Swathi Thirunal Krithis are monumental. Myself and my wife learnt a few pieces on his visits to the US-- Srirama Padama,Thiruvadi Charanam etc-- a clinic on how CM is to be taught. he worked tirelessly till his stroke towards unearthing compositions,setting to tune rare pieces--never content to rest on his laurels.

Truly a Giant!!

Condolences to his family.

[suma]

Very sad to hear this. May his soul rest in peace. My heart felt condolenses to his family and all his students.

TK Govinda Rao mama will remain immortal through the wide range of music books he wrote for beginners and seniors alike. The notations and meanings of the songs were translated for use of these students and his work will live forever.

[raga.iyer]

My condolences and prayers to the family and his legion of shishyas. Not entirely unexpected as he had been ill for quite some time but still shocking. Here's a report in the Hindu.

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2464866.ece

[Nick H]

I only knew him by reputation, but his face was familiar. Even before I found out who he was, he was one of those people one couldn't help noticing in a crowd.

Very sad news. Condolences to friends, family, students, and others who are saddened by his death.

[vasanthakokilam]

Condolences to his family, friends and disciples. He projected a very calming and scholarly demeanor. I have a vague recollection of attending one of his concerts nearly 30 years ago in T'Nagar. It was a very modest hall and I arrived when there was no one except Sri. TKG, the accompanists and may be a couple of others. I remember him helping the violinist tune to his sruthi with a pitch pipe. I think he sang the Bhairavi Swarajathi that day. I will remember him by that distant memory and the few times I saw him this past season.

Here is a picture I took last December at one of the MA Lec-Dem.

[ganeshkant]

Hindu has covered the news with an article.A great loss indeed.

[kaumaaram]

We have lost yet another stalwart in the calamities striking the CM field in the recent past. Pray God that his soul may rest in peace.

[radha bhaskar]

Here is an article about TKG sir we published in Samudhra magazine sometime back. We offer it as a humble tribute to this great soul who will ever remain embedded in our hearts. The link is -http://samudhra.org/spectrum.php

[VK RAMAN]

May his soul rest on peace

[rshankar]

Condolences to his family! May his soul rest in peace!
I am glad he was able to attend the sadas presided by his disciples, the Bombay Sisters, earlier this year when they became sangIta kalAnidhis - I am sure it is a silver lining to his legion of heart-broken students.

[RKrishnamurthy]

The demise of Dr Govind Rao is a great tragedy. I have personal experiences with this great musicologist and musician. Few years ago, Rohan played for his disciple Vikram at Raga Sudha Hall in Chennai during the music season and Dr Rao sat on the front row and followed the concert from the beginning to the end. As soon as the concert was over, he directed Rohan and Vikram to go his house and wanted to bring out a CD with these two. We went the next day and his house was a temple of inspiration with many of his scholarly books lying all around. His house also had a good recording studio. He spent several hours trying to get the CD recorded. In between he realized that it was lunch time and we were all treated to a sumptuous Kerala style feast on a banana leaf! The CD did not materialize probably due to his fastidiousness but that was not a big concern. Couple of years ago Rohan played for him in Buffalo and told me how agile and active he looked. There was a detailed diner after the concert but Dr Rao was not tempted by it and took a frugal serving mostly of salads. He took Rohan aside and gave his card and said,” when you come to Chennai in December, contact me and I want you to play for me”. Unfortunately he did not go to Chennai for a couple of years and his house was a certain “port of call” if we did make a trip. His book on the Trinity is a veritable treatise emerging out of a brilliant mind that was not merely satisfied with performing on the stage but determined to leave a more lasting impression on the world of Karnatic Music. May his soul rest in peace and may more like him appear on the KM scene.
Rama Krishnamurthy

[tkb]

A great loss and our sincere condolence.

[rajeshnat]

Write up on Shri TK Govinda Rao
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2496894.ece

[Sivaramakrishnan]

I have been fortunate to listen to Sri TKG quite a few times at the Navaratri Mandapam, Trivandrum. Cant be explained in words!