Veteran 'Mridangam Vidwan' and teacher Vankayala Narasimham passed away at a private hospital at Visakhapatnam this evening due to prolonged illness, family sources said.
He was 85.
He is survived by his wife and two sons. One of them, is also a 'Mridangam' artist in All India Radio, Visakhapatnam.
However, his daughter and the eldest son have earlier passed away.
Born on November 14, 1931 in Vizianagaram, in a family of connoisseurs of Carnatic music, Narasimham learnt the art from the late maestro Sripada Sanyasi Rao and under the expert tutelage of the late Mullapudi Lakshmana Rao.
Narasimham was featured in a full-fledged concert at the young age of 10.
A triple degree-holder, he worked as a science teacher and quit the post after 22 years of service and started service in AIR as a Mridangam artists in Visakhapatnam.
He retired in 1991.
He won many laurels, including "Kala Ratna" by united AP government and was given titles - 'Mridanga Kalaa Tapaswi', 'Mridanga Kalaa Praveena'.
Narasimham not only accompanied stalwart exponents of the tradition, but also trained many youngsters.
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