Musician and violinist Balabhaskar, who was hospitalised following a car accident on September 25, died earlier today following a cardiac arrest. His two-year old daughter Tejaswini died immediately after the accident, while his wife and a friend who was driving the car are still undergoing treatment.
The musician, who was returning to Thiruvananthapuram after visiting a temple in Thrissur, was severely injured when the car he was travelling in lost control and hit a tree near Pallpiuram CRPF camp in Thiruvananthapuram during the wee hours of last Tuesday. Though a highway patrol unit rushed them to hospital, Tejaswini, who sat with him in the front seat, couldn’t be saved.
According to the The Indian Express, Balabhaskar had suffered injuries to his brain and spine. Though the musician was taken off ventilator support yesterday after he showed slight improvement, he succumbed to a cardiac arrest earlier today, reports Azhimukham. His wife Lakshmi and friend Arjun are still undergoing treatment. Police reports say that the accident occurred as a result of the driver dozing off.
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Balabhaskar rose to prominence through fusion music concerts. He took to the violin at an early age under the guidance of his maternal uncle, noted violinist B. Sasikumar, and began performing stage shows at the age of 12. Primarily trained in Carnatic music, he has collaborated with musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, Hariharan and Mattannoor Sankarankutti.
He has also composed music for films and albums. At 17, he became the youngest composer in Malayalam cinema when he composed music for the film Mangalyapallakku. In 2008, he won the Sangeet Natak Academi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.
Following a post-mortem, his body will be kept at Thiruvananthapuram’s University College, his alma mater, for the public to pay their last respects. The cremation is likely to take place on Wednesday.
Image Courtesy: Free Press Journal