Violinist Balabhaskar dies week after road mishap

Noted violinist and composer Balabhaskar (40) died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram around 1 am on Tuesday.

He was on life support since September 25 after sustaining serious injuries in a road accident near Pallippuram, about 15 km from Thiruvananthapuram.

The accident killed the Thiruvananthapuram-based musician’s two-year-old daughter Tejaswini Bala and left his wife Lakshmi seriously injured. Balabhaskar suffered brain and spine injuries and had undergone surgeries.

The accident occurred as the musician and his family were returning after visiting a temple in Thrissur. The person who was driving the car, Arjun, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and ram a roadside tree. A team of highway police patrol personnel and local residents pulled the child out of the severely damaged car and shifted her to a hospital where she was declared dead. Arjun is undergoing medical treatment.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor had spoken with AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria and Union Health Minister J P Nadda regarding advanced medical treatment for Balabhaskar. The MP said, on September 29, that a consultant neurosurgeon was expected to examine the injured musician.

Balabhaskar, noted for his prolific work in instrumental fusion, was musically trained from age three and made his debut as a performer – on violin – at the age of 12.

His uncle B Sasikumar was one of his gurus. Balabhaskar became the youngest film music composer in Malayalam, at age 17, with the movie 'Mangalyapallak'.

He has composed popular tracks for albums and collaborated with singers, including K J Yesudas, Hariharan and K S Chithra. He has performed on stages across the country and abroad. Balaleela, the fusion band he led, was later rebooted as Big Band.