B S Sekhar, treasurer of the Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer Foundation, elaborates on the initiative.

“I used to accompany him to concerts as a teenager, though it was towards the latter part of his life. The next generation needs to understand the quality he upheld. We are in the process of collecting his works from various sources. We are also using social media to document his life and art. A book is in the works too,” he says.

His disciples note that even just minutes  before his death, ‘Vechoor sir’ was preparing to teach a student — a moment that, in hindsight, encapsulates his life.

It was utter surrender to the art that made his music flawless. That’s why he never had a good or bad day at work. He was blemishless as a musician and a teacher.

This is what they want to convey to the world: that the cultural ethos of our land has been shaped by the emphatic, presence of people like their beloved Vechoor sir. His legacy, they chorus, continues to speak long after he is gone.