Kalasagaram to pay tribute to the maestro with a 3 day concert

A Century of Mali

It is the birth centenary of the flautist par excellence T.R.  Mahalingam popularly known to the followers of Carnatic music as Mali. Born in 1926 at Thiruvidaimarudur in Tamil Nadu, Mali exemplified the statement ‘child is the father of man’. He gave his first concert at the age of seven announcing the emergence of maverick and a child prodigy.

His innovative technique in using his fingers on the wind instrument in sync with an exceptional breath control and mastery of musical expression gave his flute a unique texture and a legacy that continues to date.  Saluting the great master, Kalasagaram is organising a three-day concert of three renowned flautists on October 30, 31 and Nov 1 in the city.

Kala Ratna doctor Jayaprada Ramamurthy, a student of doctor N. Ramani, himself a disciple of Mali and a star in her own right apart from being a jewel of Hyderabad will kick start the segment of celebration on October 30. She will be accompanied by Pavan Singh on the violin, R.S.R. Srikanth on Mridangam and P.S. Mallikarjun on Ghatam. 

The second concert at the same venue, at Kalasagaram Bhavan, Meenakshi Sundaram Hall in West Marredpally, will feature B. Vijay Kumar yet another renowned flautist. His co- artistes will be Komanduri Krishna on violin, J. Bhaskar on Mridangam, Shyam Kumar on Ghatam.

Kalasagaram, on an experimental basis, has decided to take the mountain to the prophet and host the third concert on 1st November 2026 at Aparna Zarovar Zenith at Nallagandla in association with Sangeetha Lahari. This concert will feature Vidushi J.B. and Shruti Sagar. She will be accompanied on the violin by R. Dinkar, on the mridangam by T.S.R. Murthy and by Shyam Kumar on the Kanjira.

Admission to all the events will be free of cost and the concert is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on each day and will be characterized by punctuality. Kalasagaram would solicit participation in large numbers for this once- in- a- century salutation to a great master who moved into music lore for his brilliance and for a standard of art that survives decades after his final concert.

-L Ravichander