On the top floor of a house named Tirupukazh in Poonithura, Kochi, lies an extraordinary sanctuary dedicated to Indian classical music. Every morning begins with the deep, resonant voice of legendary Carnatic vocalist MD Ramanathan, fondly known as MDR, echoing through the room. This priceless musical retreat is the creation of R Krishnamoorthy, a retired art teacher whose lifelong devotion to MDR has yielded an astonishing personal archive.

A lifelong quest across India
Krishnamoorthy's passion for MDR's music took root in his youth. What began as deep admiration soon turned into a dedicated quest that saw him travel extensively across the country to track down, collect, and preserve live concert recordings. Today, his music sanctuary houses over 1,000 cassettes containing around 300 performances of the master vocalist, including several rare recitals that exist nowhere else in the world.

Meticulous preservation and marking
To preserve the audio quality and continuity of full-length recitals, each concert spans over two or three cassettes. Demonstrating his artistic precision, Krishnamoorthy has meticulously labelled and marked every tape with individual hand-drawn illustrations to ensure no concert is misplaced or misidentified over time.

A repository of Carnatic legends
While MDR remains the crown jewel of his archive, Krishnamoorthy's collection expands far beyond a single maestro. His library boasts more than 10,000 audio cassettes featuring the masters of Carnatic music, including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Palghat KV Narayanaswamy, GN Balasubramaniam, DK Pattammal, ML Vasanthakumari, T Brinda, T Muktha, MS Subbulakshmi, TR Mahalingam, and TK Rangachari.

Digitising legacy for the world
As a former secretary and vice president of the Sri Poornathrayeesa Sangeetha Sabha, Krishnamoorthy has long been invested in promoting classical arts. Now, he is on a mission to safeguard these irreplaceable soundscapes for future generations by digitising and sharing them on social media. He has already uploaded over 2,000 historic concerts, ensuring that the immortal melodies of Carnatic stalwarts remain accessible to music lovers worldwide.