I was shocked beyond imagination when I received an email from Mr. E.G. Nadhan. It stated that Mr. Kalyanasundaram Natarajan had passed away suddenly while on a personal visit to California.
Mr. Kalyanasundaram, a retired chief reporter of the Hindu, was a well-wisher of Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam (CTU). Words cannot adequately express what he has done for CTU and me personally. It is hard to build a friendship when one is old. Yet, Mr. Kalyanasundaram became virtually my elder brother, educating me on today’s Chennai, its political aspects of music, TV, radio, and just about everything. Anytime I arrived at Chennai, he would call and ask what he could do for CTU or me personally within a day.
Around 2006 or 2007, CTU started professional video recording of its music and dance concerts. I wanted audiences in India, particularly Chennai, to see and appreciate these. This would give CTU trans-national stature.
Giving CTU’s work exposed in India is a worthy target for CTU funds. So I chose Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna’s CTU concert to air from the New Delhi Doordarshan to reach viewers all over India. Their Chennai station would later broadcast excerpts from many CTU concerts.
Later, I discussed the same vision with Mr. Kalyanasundaram. He said he could get it done with no additional expenses for CTU. He introduced me to several top officials at Jaya TV, which had the highest viewership in Tamil Nadu. I could see that Mr. Kalyanasundaram commanded the highest respect among Jaya TV executives.
Mr. Kalyanasundaram was the chief reporter of The Hindu and was in service at Chennai, Vellore, and other cities. He had cultivated influence among influential people wherever he went. Podiagai TV and Jaya TV executives Mr. Thillai and Mr. Sunil were among these. He went out of his way to introduce me to leaders at Jaya TV. Without Mr. Kalyanasundaram, there was no way I could have accessed them to promote CTU. His strategy was simple: impress upon the media management, CTU’s herculean efforts to propagate our classical music and dance in the USA. Thus he got me live on the air on Jaya TV one morning. After that, Mr. Sunil, Mr. Kalyanasundaram’s friend, got five or six CTU episodes broadcast on TV. Mr. Kalyanasundaram thus put the spotlight on CTU at the most valuable cultural venue, Chennai.
Jaya TV’s administration changed and was no longer responsive to our goals. Undaunted, Mr. Kalyanasundaram switched his attention to Sun TV. His philosophy was to strive selflessly with no expectation of rewards: Karmanyeva-adikaaras-te maa phaleshu kadaachana.
I often wanted to accord him formal recognition as a great well-wisher and contributor to CTU. I wish I had done that more grandly. His gifts to CTU are comparable to those of Dr. S.T. Rao, our Co-Founder.
I have lost my elder brother. My deepest condolences go to Mrs. Jaya Kalyanasundaram. We will never forget her hospitality.
My wife Usha expresses her grief to Mrs. Jaya Kalyanasundaram.
CTU has lost one of its devout and dynamic volunteer-advisor and well-wisher. To us, he is irreplaceable.
In grief,
TES and Usha Raghavan