Lifting me, soothing me, touching my soul
You took me where very few people have gone before.
With each lilting note, my heart became fuller
Till it was not enough to hold everything that I could hear.
Through my happy times and the melancholic ones
The angry spats and the contemplative moods,
Your music nurtured a love of the Divine.
Reaching deep within my being and leaving me open to experiences
That moment in Time where everything stood still and there was nothing between me and the Music.
Today, that magic stopped.
News of your untimely demise has left me in a state of shock
I sit here, reading tributes to the wonder that you wove, both with your character and your melody.
I will never be able to hear you in person again
Never introduce you to my daughter at a concert
Never watch your smile light up a stage . . .
The grief wells up and sticks in my chest, like a heavy, ungainly paperweight.
The question, ‘Why?’ is futile and yet I ask it every few minutes.
In all this, the gratitude is paramount, that I can listen to countless hours of your mesmerising talent
Preserved for generations to come.
And in all this, I hope in one small corner of my heart
That I can garner a fraction of the love from the ones I know
When it is time for me to bid adieu.
So long and Thank you for the Music.

(1969- 2014)
Too young to go but nevertheless time decided not to wait. Great tribute!
Such a beautiful tribute Shailaja…
What a beautiful tribute. Thank you for sharing.
You have laid bare your soul and love for him and his music. I have not heard of him but I will now. RIP Srinivas.
The great artist spread his love through his music. Why did the cruel hands of Death snatch him so young?
Awww…what a lovely tribute shailaja. ..It was a pretty rude shock for me as well…sounds clichéd but he will live on through his music. ..
Lovely lovely tribute Shailaja.