K. P. Udayabhanu

Not to be confused with A. P. Udhayabhanu.

In this Malayali name, the surname is Kizhakke Potta.

K. P. Udayabhanu
Birth name	Bhanuprakash
Born	(1936-06-06)6 June 1936 Tharoor, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India (present day Palakkad, Kerala, India)
Died	5 January 2014(2014-01-05) (aged 77) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Occupation(s)	Playback singer Music composer
Years active	1958 – 2010

Kizhakke Potta Udayabhanu (born Bhanuprakash; 6 June 1936 – 5 January 2014) was an Indian playback singer and music director, mainly in Malayalam films. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.^[1][2]

Personal life

Udayabhanu was born to N. S. Varma and Ammu Nethyaramma at Tharur in the present-day Palakkad district.^[3] He was the nephew of music scholar K. P. Appukutta Menon^[3] and freedom fighter K. P. Kesava Menon.^[4] Udayabhanu spent his childhood in Singapore, where his father ran a business.^[4] Following his mother's death, he returned to India at the age of seven.^[4] Udayabhanu joined the Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidyalaya in Kalpathy and started learning music under the guidance of Erode Viswanatha Iyer, Palghat Mani Iyer, M. D. Ramanathan, Palghat Srirama Bhagavathar, and Flute Krishna Iyer.^[3] Udayabhanu married singer Vijayalekshmi in 1970 and they had a son, Rajeev Udayabhanu.^[1] Vijayalekshmi died in 2007.^[5]

Udayabhanu started his career as an announcer in All India Radio in 1956, where he worked for 38 years.^[3] In 1964–65, he worked as music teacher at Lawrence School, Lovedale,^[6] but quit it in 1965 and rejoined All India Radio in the same year.^[7] He was also the Public Relations Officer to K. Karunakaran twice.^[1][7]

His favourite singers were K. J. Yesudas and K. S. Chithra.^[7] M. Balamuralikrishna was his favourite Carnatic musician.^[7] Bade Gulam Ali Khan and Bhimsen Joshi were his favourite Hindustani musicians.^[7]

Udayabhanu died on 5 January 2014 at his home in Thiruvananthapuram.^[8][9] He was suffering from Parkinson's disease.^[3] Aparna Balamurali, a popular young actress and singer, is his grandniece, being the daughter of his nephew Balamurali, who is himself a professional musician.

Career

Udayabhanu recorded his first film song Enthinithra panchasara for the film Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu in 1958.^[5] In his career, he sang more than 50 songs.^[3] The most notable songs are Kananachayayil aadumeykkan (Ramanan), Anuraga nadakathin (Ninamaninja Kalpadukal), Ponvalayillenkilum (Kutti Kuppayam), Thamara Thumbi Vava (Puthiya Akasam Puthiya Bhoomi), Vellinakshathrame ninne nokki (Ramanan), Chudukanneeralen (Laila Majnu), Tharame tharame (Laila Majnu), Vadaruthee malarini (Sathyabhama), Pennale pennale (Chemmeen), Pennayi pirannenkil, Viralonnillenkilum (Veluthambi Dalawa, and Velutha penne velutha penne (Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu).^[3][10] His last song was Kaatu Paranjathum recorded for the 2010 film Thanthonni.^[3][5] He sang this song after a break of 40 years from his last recorded film song.^[1] He composed music for the films Samasya, Velichamillatha Veedhi, and Mayilpeeli.^[3][7] The songs Kili chilachu from Samasya and Indu sundarasmitham thookum from Mayil Peeli and several light music hits were broadcast through all India radio like 'oru pattu paduvan', 'athramelinnum nilavine' etc... were highly popular.^[1][7]

In 1984, Udayabhanu launched the musical troupe Old is Gold which has conducted several stage shows in India and abroad.^[1] Udayabhanu represented India at the Asia Pacific Popular Song contest in Singapore in 1985. He was also the chief conductor of the Drums of India music programme which was organised as part of the Republic Day celebrations in 1985.^[1] He was the chief conductor and composer of Bharatiyam conducted in Thiruvananthapuram. He conducted choral groups in all Indian languages from Delhi Central Production Unit and Delhi Doordarshan.^[6] He composed 32 poems by renowned Kerala poets in connection with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Independence.^[1] He conducted music for more than 100 patriotic songs. Of these, more than 80 were in Malayalam.^[7] The rest were in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Assamese, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Marathi, and Oriya.^[7]

According to Malayalam film historian Balagopal, Udayabhanu's voice was specially suited for sad songs in melodramatic films of the 1960s and 1970s.^[11]

Awards and recognitions

• Recipient of Padma Shri Award, 2009.^[1]
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for creative music, 2002.^[12]
• Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, 2004.^[1]
• Kamukara award, 2006.^[10]
• B. R. Ambedkar "Kalasri" Award by Bharatheeya Dalit Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 2003.^[13]
• National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction, 1994 (Myth of the Tree, Serpant Mother).^[14]
• Honoured by Kerala government for outstanding contributions to Malayalam film industry, 1981.^[10]
• Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, 1987.^[10]
• Honoured by All India Radio for outstanding contributions to broadcasting in Kerala, 1999.^[1]

Positions held

• Member- Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi^[1]
• Member- Kerala Kalamandalam^[1]
• Member- Board of Studies (Music), Calicut University^[1]
• Member- Board of Studies (Music), Mahatma Gandhi University^[1]
• Member- Film Censor Board (thrice)^[1]
• Member- Kerala State Film Awards Committee (thrice)^[1]
• Member- Audition Board, All India Radio^[1]

References

1. "അന്ത്യമാം രംഗം തീര്‍ന്നു; വെള്ളിനക്ഷത്രം മാഞ്ഞു: കെ. പി. ഉദയഭാനു അന്തരിച്ചു". Mangalam. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
2. Parayath, Prakash (9 January 2014). "With music in his heart…". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
3. "Veteran Malayalam singer K.P Udayabhanu dies". NDTV. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
4. "Musician K P Udayabhanu Passes Away". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
5. "Udayabhanu passes away". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
6. "Veteran Malayalam playback singer K P Udayabhanu passes away". Net Indian. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
7. "എന്റെ പ്രണയം ചുറ്റുമുള്ള എല്ലാ ജീവജാലങ്ങളോടുമാണ്- കെ.പി. ഉദയഭാനു". DC Books. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
8. "Veteran Malayalam playback singer K P Udayabhanu passes away". netindian.in. 5 January 2014.
9. "Veteran Malayalam singer K.P Udayabhanu dies". ndtv.com. 5 January 2014.
10. "കെ.പി. ഉദയഭാനു അന്തരിച്ചു". Yahoo Malayalam. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
11. "Renowned Malayalam singer KP Udayabhanu passes away". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
12. "ഉദയഭാനുവിന്റെ മൃതദേഹം ഔദ്യോഗിക ബഹുമതികളോടെ സംസ്കരിച്ചു". Deshabhimani. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
13. "Melody on song". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
14. "42nd National Film Festival" (PDF). Government of India. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

External links

• K. P. Udayabhanu Foundation website Archived 16 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine