“While doing my PhD, I would practise the entire night” IITGN Professor Gets Accreditation as an AIR Artist

In an attempt to professionally recognise artists and musicians from across the country, the prestigious All India Radio (AIR) has a ‘Music Audition System’ in place which dates back to more than fifty years. The auditions consist of two gruelling rounds, testing applicants based on their mastery over the medium. Graded by some of the most prominent artists and experts of the country, the selected candidates get an opportunity to showcase their talents at a national level, thereby carving a niche for themselves in the cultural landscape of India. Mithun Radhakrishna, an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), has recently been accredited as a B-grade artist from the Mysore centre of the AIR.

As a dedicated mandolin player, Prof. Radhakrishna began his artistic journey at the age of 12. He attained his initial training from Prasanna Kumar – a disciple of the mandolin maestro U Srinivas, who is widely acclaimed for his proficiency in the Carnatic style of Indian classical music. After joining NIT Tiruchirappalli for his bachelors, he got introduced to the renowned violinist T.K.V. Ramanujacharyulu, who trained him further, and shaped his practice and understanding of the medium for the years to come. “Except for taking a short break while transitioning from school to college, I cannot recollect a single phase of my life when I stopped playing the mandolin. Infact, while doing my PhD at Columbia, I would spend the entire night practising” recounted Prof. Radhakrishna. “One of the major reasons why I came back to India was also because I wanted to learn more and prove my calibre in this domain” he added. On being asked how he maintains a balance between music and academia, he remarked: “For me, music has always been as important as academia. I never run out of time to practise music. If you really like something, you will always have time for it”.

Prof. Radhakrishna gave his first concert performance at the age of fifteen. Since then, he has frequently performed on several occasions, both nationally and internationally. He has also had the privilege of performing in the celebrated Chennai Music Festival, 2019. As a graded Akashvani artist now, he is eligible to officially perform for the AIR too. After receiving this prestigious accreditation, his inaugural
recording took place on the 16th of July in Mysore. The same will be telecasted on the 8th of August, 2024. Interested listeners can check out his pieces on Prof. Radhakrishna’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@mandolinmithunradhakrishna1058