In 1974, he had to jump over a wall to listen to singer M.S. Subbulakshmi in his native Ernakulam. Barely 10 years later, he was her regular mridangist. For almost five decades now, Krishnan Visweswara Prasad, this year’s Sangeetha Choodamani awardee from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, has been a steady and dignified presence in the music field, known for his sensitive and unobtrusive musicianship.
The first in his family to take to the arts, K.V. Prasad learned mridangam from Narayana Iyer, Parassala Ravi and TK Murthy. When he was 11, he was a rock drummer for the band Stone Age, playing the self-taught triple congo, dholak and tabla, and an integral part of many local film music orchestras. At 17, he was regularly accompanying Carnatic luminaries visiting Ernakulam.
After a BSc in Botany, Prasad sold automobile grease door-to-door and later was a parts-picker. “I had to earn a living,” he says. After a full day’s work, he would perform in kutcheris and orchestras in the evening. Unusual for that generation, his father V. Krishna Iyer actively encouraged music, stating that anyone could be a manager, but few could be artistes. No matter how late Prasad went to bed, his father woke him up at 6 a.m. with shlokas — for 30 minutes of mandatory morning mridangam practice ‘accompanying’ whichever musician was singing on the radio.
In 1984, when Prasad was working with TVS in Kottayam, his father saw the notice for a vacancy at AIR Madras. “I went for the interview only because TVS was there — I had never envisioned music as a career,” says Prasad. He got the job, retiring 34 years later, in 2018.
On his third day at AIR Madras, Prasad played live at the prestigious 8.30 am slot for S. Ramanathan. “He had requested for me specifically.” Others such as Bombay Sisters and R. Vedavalli took to him immediately as well. “I played at the evening slot in The Music Academy that year for Vedavalli amma.” The same year, Kadayanallur Venkatraman escorted him to M.S. Subbulakshmi’s house at her request, and he had a short audition. From then on, he was her choice mridangist. AIR staff artistes do not often get opportunities to perform at the highest levels in concert arenas but Prasad was regularly requested by multiple senior musicians simultaneously. “In those cases, I performed with whoever asked first,” he says, stating he accepts performances based only on skill, and not age or gender.
Prasad has toured extensively including Cuba, Morocco, Hungary, Israel, Russia, the U.K. and Singapore. A regular for Mandolin Shrinivas for several years, he recollects an unforgettable 38-concert US tour in 1993, spanning 78 days.
K.V. Prasad receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi award from former President of India Pranab Mukherjee in 2013.
| Photo Credit:
Sandeep Saxena
Prasad has played the mridangam in numerous cassette and CD recordings with many musicians, including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, D.K. Pattammal, M.S. Subbulakshmi, M.L. Vasanthakumari, Ganesh Kumaresh, Mandolin Shrinivas (“his famous double and triple mandolin albums too”), Kadri Gopalnath, violin luminaries T.N. Krishnan, Lalgudi Jayaraman and M.S. Gopalakrishnan, and percussionists T.H. Vinayakram, G. Harishankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain. A memorable experience was playing mridangam tracks (R.K. Shriramkumar played violin tracks) for Divine Unison in 1999 — an album of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M.S. Subbulakshmi singing together, sans accompaniments, at ‘Enfield’ Viswanathan’s house in 1967.
He has been part of the music of many movies such as His Highness Abdullah, Bharatham, Kamaladalam, Manichitrathazhu, Devasuram, Thaniyavarthanam and Kudumbasametham. Prasad also acted in Fazil’s Oru Naal Oru Kanavu.
Prasad’s family is into music. His son Krishna Kishor is a multi-percussionist; daughter-in-law Kamalaja Rajagopal is a playback singer; daughter Krupaa Lakshmi, a Carnatic vocalist and Bharatanatyam dancer; and son-in-law Barghav Hariharan, a Carnatic vocalist. Prasad credits his wife, Usha Prasad, a student of Madurai GS Mani and a PhD in music, with being the enduring glue of the family, raising their children effectively alone as he was frequently away, performing.
K.V. Prasad, quite possibly, is unique in concurrent prolificity for years together in Carnatic concerts, radio programmes, film music and numerous cassettes and CDs. Unfailingly smartly attired and well groomed, he concludes, “I play with full involvement and sincerity, always aiming to touch the soul.”
Published – November 29, 2025 06:54 pm IST
