K. V. Ramachandran

K.V. Ramachandran of Coimbatore and Madras was arguably India's foremost music and art critic of the 20th century. Born in 1898, he became well-known as the founder and producer of Kesavardhini hair oil, a national brand that can still be found on the shelves today. (The company was sold to another owner after his death.)

He had a reputation for being extremely opinionated and influential, and people who knew him recall that he instilled fear in musicians, dancers and artists around the country.

A story of Ramachandran's that reflects his unique sense of humor -- and direct yet eloquent manner -- was recently recounted in Sruti, a leading music and dance magazine in India:

"K.V. Ramachandran, then manufacturer of Kesavardhini hair oil, who was India's foremost music critic, once wrote that a mongoose had half its body turned to gold after listening to Veena Dhanammal's music, but that there was no such effect on the other half of its body as it listened to other music in various concerts. Still on its rounds, the mongoose went from sabha to sabha recently...and one day it was found lying dead at the doorsteps of the Music Academy. The noise pollution of the music season had done it in. The story focused on the noisy character of the typical music concert, but obviously the proverbial mongoose could not get enough satisfaction to offset the effects of the pollution."

Some musical historians speculate that one of Ramachandran's impassioned speeches served as the impetus for the founding of the Indian Academy of Music. He was a collector of rare, antique Indian artwork and instruments including the dilrupa.

K.V. Ramachandran died on March 26, 1956. Two of his four daughters, Seetha and Shyamala are still living in Madras (Chennai). His grandchildren and their children live in various locations around the globe, including Switzerland, the U.S., New Zealand, Canada and India.