Raju Ananthaswamy

Raju Ananthaswamy was a prolific figure in the Kannada music industry who gained wide recognition for his impeccable skill in compositing and directing music. He is also recognizable for playback singing and acting that he has done over the course of his short life span.

He was born on 19 April, 1973. Being the son of Mysore Ananthaswamy Mysore Ananthaswamy was one of the finest composer >> Read More... , and as he was born into a family where music was solemnly worshipped, he naturally grew close to the same. He started playing in his father’s troupe at a very tender age and took initial lessons on tabla from Gunda Shastry. In addition to playing tabla, he had knowledge over playing guitar, keyboard, and mandalin. After he started composing music, many of his compositions, he noticed, were religiously influenced by his father. His singing too showcased this trait.

Raju’s performances were appreciated by many that he constantly appeared in All India Radio, Doordarshan, Zee Kannada, Radio City, and so many more. His forte lied in Sugama Sangeetha, and had worked on it for more than fifteen years of his life. He even used to teach students the same on weekends. Following his father’s footsteps, he was able to tune more than two hundred Kannada poems including those of his father. He found a great serendipity in tuning, preserving, and promoting his father’s works, which he did through his performances, and also through passing down to generations.

He died on 17 January, 2009, in Bengaluru, India, at the age of 35 because of Kidney failure.

Some of his noteworthy performances were at the Hampi Utsava, Vasanta Habba, SAARC Summit Cultural Evening, etc. His well-known compositions and songs include Yaava mohana murali kareyitu, Hottare yedbittu, Beldingal raathrili, Heege ondu Raathri, Tunge Dadadalli, Madhava, Krishna Yenabaarade, etc. He had acted in around a dozen movies, notable ones include Kanchana Ganga Kanchanaganga is a Telugu daily serial which was b >> Read More... , Abhi, Jackpot, Amrithadhare, etc.