Renowned violin exponent M.S. Gopalakrishnan, well-known for his deep knowledge of both Carnatic and Hindustani music, died in the city on Thursday after a brief illness.
The 82-year-old maestro of the stringed instrument was admitted to a private hospital here on Wednesday after he complained of breathlessness. “Padma Bhushan M.S. Gopalakrishnan breathed his last at 2.30 am in a private hospital,” his daughter and violinist M. Narmadha said in a statement.
Son of Parur Sundaram Iyer, MSG performed his first concert at the age of 8 and had a career spanning 75 years. He was a versatile player with equal command and mastery in Hindustani and Carnatic music and gave violin a very special status by charming the whole world with the MSG bow.
An artiste remembered for his immense knowledge of either forms of music, MSG, as he was fondly known among the “rasikas” (music lovers), had a career spanning 75 years.
A recipient of various awards, including Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, Gopalakrishnan was an artiste having an open mind for new ideas. The maestro is survived by wife, two daughters and a son. Narmadha, also a disciple of the violin maestro, recalled her on-stage association with her father, and said he had presented violin solo, Jugalbandhi and duet concerts with her.
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Woman jumps from train to escape molesters
Ara/Buxar (Bihar), Jan. 3: A woman jumped from a speeding express train suffering injuries on her head and legs to escape from molesters who were identified as Army jawans near Ara junction in Bihar’s Bhojpur district on Thursday, officials said.
Bhojpur district magistrate Pratima S. Verma told PTI that the woman from Darjeeling in West Bengal jumped out of the 14055 UP Dibrugarh-Delhi Brahmaputra Express at Jagjivan Halt to escape from the clutches of the molesters.
The woman in her thirties suffered injuries on the head and legs and was admitted to the Sadar Hospital at Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur, around 50 km from Patna.
One of the molesters, identified as Army jawan Ramesh Kumar, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, was caught by an Assam Rifles man A.D. Upadhyay from the toilet where he was hiding, the police sources said.
He was handed over to the Railway Protection Force at Buxar, the sources said.
Inspector-general of police, rail, Vinay Kumar said in Patna that another Army jawan was involved in molesting the woman on the train.
The second jawan escaped to another bogey of the train taking advantage of chaos, he said. The victim travelling in the B-1 coach did not have a confirmed ticket and was sitting on the TT’s berth, the IG said. — PTI