This happened when Dr. Balamuralikrishna was in his teens, around his town of Vijayawada. Shri Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, already a doyen of Carnatic music was to give a concert in that town. The scheduled violin artist sent a message quite early in the day that he would not be able to make it to the evening-concert due to certain unavoidable problem. The organizers suggested that a boy called Balamurali Krishna in the same town would be able to accompany in the concert. Shri Ariyakudi quite well accepted the idea to taking Balamurali as a substitute violin artist. In the afternoon, Ariyakudi sent his disciple to Balamurali to come for a practice session. The disciple worded the suggestion unwittingly in lines – “my guru called you to give you practice a while in advance, so that you can play violin better in the concert”. The young and hot-blooded Balamurali, perhaps not being aware of the stature of Ariyakudi,  replied, “I shall play well even if your Guru does not teach me a couple of hours prior to concert. Let him relax; I shall directly sit for the concert”. Knowing about this kind of reply, Ariyakudi was taken aback, and did not attempt to greet the boy prior to concert.

Balamurali became more serious and played for the concert with moody countenance, even sitting in a direction away from Ariyakudi the vocalist of the day. The concert was going on without usual gestures across the artists. After a while Ariyakudi completed his Kambhoji alapana and it was the turn of Balamurali to play the ragam on violin. With whatever mood he was in, he managed to play in a manner that Ariyakudi acknowledged  saying ‘shabhaash’. Balumurali was thoroughly touched by the appreciation; he placed the violin aside and touched the feet of Ariyakudi the doyen, with great obedience. All the anger got washed away with the flow of love; then followed the real joyous music.