Krishnan Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also known as Raghavan MasterRaghavan Master, was an Indian music composer primarily known for his work in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

and as a carnatic vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is credited with contributing to the renaissance of Malayalam film music, pioneering the creation of Malayalam film songs with their own distinct tunes and styles. Before him, Malayalam film songs often imitated popular Hindi and Tamil film songs and old classical kritis. Raghavan helped establish a new direction and identity for Malayalam film music. He composed around 400 songs in

over nearly four decades. In 1997, he was honored with the J. C. Daniel Award, the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

's highest honor for contributions to Malayalam cinema.

Early life

K. Raghavan was born in Tellicherry near

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

in the erstwhile

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

(present-day

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

) on 2 December 1913, to folk singer M. Krishnan and Narayani. He began studying classical music in his childhood and also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. He began his professional career as a tambura player in

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

and in 1950, he was transferred to

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

, where he became involved with film artists.

Career

Raghavan initiated a new trend in Malayalam film music with the release of the 1954 movie '' Neelakuyil''. Renowned lyricist and Raghavan's friend P. Bhaskaran penned the songs in the film.Neelakkuyil Raghavan also sang one of the songs.'' Neelakkuyil'' The song ''Kayalarikathu valayerinjappol'' became an instant hit.

Music career

During his career spanning over four decades, he scored music for more than sixty Malayalam films, and many of his compositions remain classics. Raghavan brought folk elements into Malayalam film music, and his melodies replaced the imitation of popular Hindi tunes that prevailed at the time. He also composed songs for plays by groups such as the Kerala People's Arts Club and

. Most of his songs were written by P. Bhaskaran, and he introduced many new voices to Malayalam film music, including K. J. Yesudas, P. Jayachandran, P.Susheela, Mehboob, K. P. Brahmanandan, M. Balamuralikrishna, M. L. Vasanthakumari, A. P. Komala, Gayathri Srikrishnan, Santha P. Nair, A. M. Rajah, K. P. Udayabhanu, M.G. Radhakrishnan, P. B. Sreenivas,

Vani Jayaram Vani Jairam (born Kalaivani; 30 November 1945 – 4 February 2023) was an Indian playback singer in Indian cinema. She is fondly referred to as the "'' Meera of modern India''" Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. Sh ...

Jikki Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni (3 November 1935 – 16 August 2004), more famously known as Jikki, was an Indian playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She sang around 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhalese, and Hindi lan ...

, V. T. Murali, M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra and

Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan is a renowned Indian playback singer known for her contributions to a wide range of Indian film industries, particularly in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu cinema. Over her decades-long career, she has also recorded songs in other ...

As a musician

*First Movie Pullimaan (1951) *Number of Movies 65 *Number of Songs 405 *State Awards 2

Songs

* ''Kayalarikathu... '' * ''Ellarum chollanu... '' * ''Nazhiyuripalu kondu...'' * ''Hrudaythin romancham... '' * ''Ekantha Kaamuka Ninte Manoratham ... '' * ''Shyamasundara pushpame... '' * ''Aattinakkareyakkare... '' * ''Poornendumukhiyodambalathil...'' * ''Nalikerathinte nattilenikkoru... '' * ''Manjani poonilavil... '' * ''Kathu sookshichoru... '' * ''Appozhe paranjille... '' * ''Manathe Mazhamukil malakale... '' * ''Anuragakkalariyil angathinu vannavale... '' * ''Pambukalkku maalamundu... '' (KPAC drama song) * ''Thalayku meethe... '' (KPAC drama song)

Personal life

Raghavan was married to Yashoda and had five children: three daughters and two sons. He died at the age of 99 on 19 October 2013 in

Thalassery Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...

. His younger brother, Lakshmanan, predeceased him.

Awards

Civilian Awards by Govt. of India * 2010 –

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Kerala State Film Awards * 1973 – Best Music Director for '' Nirmalyam'' * 1977 – Best Music Director – ''Poojakedukkatha Pookkal''. * 1997 – J. C. Daniel Award from the

Other Awards * 1981 – Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship * 2000 – Best Lifetime Achievement Award * 2006 – Swaralaya Yesudas Award * 2011 – M. G. Radhakrishnan Award

References

External links

*
Complete Listing of K Raghavan's Movie Songs

Raghavan the folk master
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raghavan, K. Malayalam film score composers Kerala State Film Award winners People from Thalassery Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 1913 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Indian composers Film musicians from Kerala 21st-century Indian composers Indian male film score composers 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian singers Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers J. C. Daniel Award winners Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Kerala Film Critics Awards winners