I have lost my Godfather, my guru, my mentor. My journey to becoming a true artiste began with Balu Sir. He taught me how to be a true musician, and also that one must always be respectful towards fellow artistes and colleagues. He loved Mohammad Rafi ji's songs, and spoke fondly of those he worked with, including Panchamda [RD Burman], Bappi Lahiri, Pyare sir [Pyarelal Sharma], Ilayaraja, Ms Viswanathan, KV Mahadevan, and several others. He was the one who brought me to Mumbai to show me how recordings were conducted, and drums were played. His demise is a huge loss for the entire music industry, and music lovers.