Balabhaskar critical, daughter dies in accident

Noted music composer and violinist Balabhaskar and his wife Lakshmi were injured and their two-year-old daughter Tejaswini killed in a road accident at Pallipuram, about 15 km from Thiruvananthapuram in the early hours of Tuesday. The condition of Balabhaskar admitted in a private hospital with multiple fractures is reported as critical.

The family was returning to Thiruvananthapuram after a temple visit in Thrissur. Preliminary reports said the driver of the car they were travelling in, Arjun, lost control of the vehicle and rammed it on a roadside tree. Lakshmi and the driver have also been hospitalised. The incident happened at about 4.30 am. A highway police patrol team pulled the child out of the severely damaged car and shifted her to a private hospital where she was declared dead.

Balabhaskar, 40, is noted for his work in instrumental fusion. He made his first public performance on violin at the age of 12. At 17, he became the youngest film music composer in Malayalam with the movie Mangalyapallak.