T. N. Krishnan

Sri T. N. Krishnan is remembered as a twentieth-century trendsetter. He was born on October 16, 1928 in Parur, Kerala, into an illustrious family of musicians.

He received initial training from his father A. Narayana Iyer and later from K. Parthasarathy Iyengar. He was also tutored by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, and his style drew inspiration from Papa Venkataramiah.

Krishnan gave his first concert at the age of eight and was featured on All India Radio from the age of ten. From a young age he accompanied celebrated vocalists including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramanya Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, and G. N. Balasubramaniam.

His programmes were aired by All India Radio, BBC, Radio Germany, Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, and Doordarshan. Padma Sri and Padma Bhushan are among his honours.

He served as Professor of Music at the State Music College in Chennai, later directed its activities as Principal, and also served as Professor and Dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi.