When a lady singer failed to turn up during a musical evening, the helpless organisers had to face the wrath of the audience! That’s when the lead male singer offered to step into the lady’s shoe! He came on to the stage and began singing a duet and while the audience wondered who the lady singer is, they were stunned when the same male singer so melodiously sang in a female voice too!

That started the two-in-one singer phase of Krishnamurthy, who was only a male singer till then. Having started his career as a singer while working in the Administration Department in Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, Krishnamurthy, an MA LLB, has been a familiar face in most of the music orchestras in city and his ability to sing in a woman’s voice has made him a much sought-after singer. Having sung with legends like Dr. Raj Kumar, Dr. Vishnuvardhan, Manjula Gururaj and several other reputed musical troupes, Krishnamurthy, who can sing in all South Indian languages, is a popular singer in Kerala and Hyderabad too.

Retired from service and at 64, Krishnamurthy’s zeal for singing hasn’t decreased a bit. “Thanks to my discipline and staying away from alcohol, smoking and even tea and coffee, my voice still retains its tenor,” he says. —NS