Despair in Hindi Nagar of Goshamahal was palpable on Friday evening, as several dozens of people gathered in a small lane adjacent to the Durga Mata temple. Those present were drawn by love and respect for the late Pandit Vithal Rao Sivpurkar, who was a court musician of the last Nizam in the city.
Sunil Rao, a nephew of Pandit Vithal Rao, who used to perform with the musician, said that the 80-year old’s body was found by the police on Wednesday night.
The family was informed about it on Friday morning.
Mr. Rao had gone missing on May 29 in Shirdi where he and his family had gone on pilgrimage.
“It was crowded. We had four VIP passes, and I was taking his wife on a wheelchair. His daughter Sandhya was with him. We don’t know at what point he was lost, because later we checked and even CCTV cameras showed him leaving the premises,” recalled Deepak Rao, his relative, who used to play tabla in Vithal Rao’s ensemble, along with Sunil and one his sons Anil Rao. The 80-year-old musician has left fond memories cherished not just by the family, but for music lovers across the city. One of his admirers was Asif Ali, a tabla player and artiste.
“Mr. Rao was the best composer whose pronunciation was unmatchable. Even after the Nizam’s rule ended, people never lost interest in his ghazals,” he said.
A senior official said that investigation is on to find out how he reached Hyderabad.
