Music honour for Balamurali, Usha Uthup, Jerry Amaldev

Carnatic music legend M Balamuralikrishna, pop singer Usha Uthup and noted music director Jerry Amaladev have been selected for the prestigious Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas awards for their contributions to contempoaray Indian music.
The awards, jointly instituted by cultural forum Swaralaya and Kairali TV in honour of living music legend K J Yesudas, carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each, a citation and a memento.
The awards were announced by former Kerala Culture Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M A Baby, Kairali M D John Brittas and Swaralaya's Kerala Chapter general secretary E M Najeeb at a press meet here today.

The jury noted that Balamuralikrishna is a legend in Carnatic music who also made enduring contributions in popularising the classical tradition.
Usha Uthup has been a versatile singer who enthralled music buffs cutting across cultural and linguistic barriers in a career spanning over four decades.
Starting from hotels and clubs in Mumbai, apart from popular numbers, Usha has sung in over 150 films and has come out with over 200 albums.

Starting his career in a Kochi-based troupe, Jerry Amaldev has rendered music to scores of highly rated songs in Malayalam films.
A dedicated student and researcher of Indian and Western traditions, Amaldev has produced several Christian devotional albums in different languages, the jury said.

The awards will be presented by Yesudas at a function here next month.