Twin loss leaves city’s art, music lovers in mourning

Thiruvananthapuram: The city has lost two of its cultural figures – a face of western classical music in Thiruvanathapuram, and an artist for whom painting had been ‘a form of life and a means to exorcise the pain and darkness within’, on the same day.
Artist Girish Kumar, aged 56, and a former Federal Bank officer died in the wee hours of Wednesday after prolonged illnesses, while Satish Kamath (63), well known all over the country for his dedication to western classical music and its patronage, died in the afternoon due to cardiac arrest.
Girish Kumar, who was suffering from various health issues for quite some time, leaves behind his wife Mini Sukumar who is a Calicut University assistant professor and daughter Anna. Cremation was held at Santhikavadam crematorium here in the afternoon.
Girish’s abstract creations using mixed media had earned him laurels from art critics and art lovers.
“Not having to prove any point, live up to manifestoes or make any 'breaks', Girish brushes his way through the maze of colours, in his own way, finding rather than seeking. Naturally, his works are erratic and uneven, within and without. It doesn't make any claims, nor assert any. Free of any kind of luggage, aesthetic or ideological, these paintings are like coded suicide notes; painful but irrepressible notes about oneself that seeks no redressal from the world,” art critic C S Venkiteswaran had written on Girish’s series of paintings titled mindscapes in 2006.
Recalling his long association with Girish, Venkiteswaran said, “Some departures leave a void in your life. We did not meet everyday. But, we had an intermittent but intense relationship of sorts where he shared a lot of projects, visions, plans with me - of publishing, filmmaking, exhibition, poetry, and what not...”.
Kamath, the executive director and founder of Trivandrum Academy of Western Music (TAWM) is survived by his wife Shyamala Kamath, sons Dr Anant Kamath (Dr.Azim Premji University) and Umanath Kamath (Google, Michigan) and their wives Dr.Neethi P (Dr.Azim Premji University) and Srushti Sawant (Google, Michigan). The cremation is likely to be held on Friday after his son and family arrive here from the US.
Kamath had started as a programme executive in All India Radio (AIR) for western classical music and international programmes of India. Though his main line of businesses was alternate construction materials and energy, he was invited to head the Yamaha music Division in Muscat, Oman, wherein he won the best manager award from 67 countries under Yamaha Gulf.
He had played important roles in bringing up Bangalore School of Music in its early years before departing to the Gulf.