THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Veteran Malayalam playback singer K P Udayabhanu passed away at his home here. He was 77. Udayabhanu who was under treatment for parkinson’s disease, breathed his last at 8.30 pm today. He was survived with his son Rajeev.
Udayabhanu entered the film industry with the song ''Enthinithra panchasara palil" in the film Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu directed by P. Bhaskaran. Songs like ‘Ponvalayillenkilum...’ (Kuttikuppayam), ‘Thamara Thumbi Vava..’ (Puthiya Aakasham, Puthiya Bhoomi), ‘Vellinakshathrame..(Ramanan), ‘Kannilenthanu...’ (Rosi), ‘Puthan Valakkare... (Chemmeen), ‘Anuraga Nadakathin...’, ‘Kanana Chayayil...,’ sung in his soulful voice still reverberate in the mind of every Malayali. For Udayabhanu, who reigned the music scene of Kerala throughout sixties, the golden era of Malayalam film music, his life has always been a journey in tune with music.
His last song was ‘Kaatu Paranjadum...’ in the film ‘Thanthonni.’
The veteran music director’s contribution towards music extends beyond playback singing to music direction, composing and forming music foundations and choral groups. In 2009 he was honoured with Padmashree.
Udayabhanu was born to NS Varma and Smt Ammu Nethyaramma at Tharur in Palakkad on June 6, 1936. Nephew of the renowned leader of freedom movement and founder chief editor of Mathrubhoomi K P Kesava Menon, Udayabhanu spent his childhood in Singapore where his father ran a business. Losing his mother at the tender age of seven, he returned to his homeland in 1944 along with his siblings. At Palakkad, the children grew up under the watchful eyes of their maternal uncle K P Appukkutta Menon.
Udayabhanu joined the Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidyalaya in Kalpathy, where he came under the tutelage of legends like Flute Krishna Iyer, Palakkad Mani Iyer and MD Ramanathan. Although fairly and deeply entrenched in the classical tradition, he chose light music and playback singing as his chief domains.
Udayabhanu began his career as an announcer at the Kozhikode station of All India Radio In 1955. The stint at AIR brought him closer to a galaxy of gifted writers and musicians like P Bhaskaran, K Raghavan, Thikkodian, Santha P Nair and K Padmanabhan Nair. This also paved way for his entry into film music. Udayabhanu went on to record many unforgettable melodies, besides proving his mettle as a gifted composer.
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