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Mysore Ananthaswamy
ಮೈಸೂರು ಅನಂತಸ್ವಾಮಿ
The pioneer of Sugama Sangeetha — the voice of Kannada light music
Years
1936 – 1995
Known as
Mysore Ananthaswamy — the singer and composer
Birthplace
Mysore, Karnataka
Field
Artists & Performers
“The light song must not be light in art — let the simple song carry the deepest feeling.”
— The spirit of Mysore Ananthaswamy
The Story
Born in 1936 in Mysore, Ananthaswamy was trained in music and began his career as a composer in the 1960s. He created the style of Sugama Sangeetha — the 'easy music' that set the poems of Kuvempu, Bendre, and other great poets to melodies of rare simplicity and beauty.
His songs, sung by the people of Karnataka for decades, made him one of the most loved musicians of the state. He composed for the stage, the radio, and the films of the land, and his music carried the Kannada poem to the common listener in a way no one had done before.
He died in 1995, honoured as the pioneer of Sugama Sangeetha. His songs remain the treasure of the state's music, and his name is remembered as the founder of the genre that made the Kannada poem sing.
Core Ideas
Sugama Sangeetha
The genre of light music he created.
The Pioneer
The founder of the state's beloved style.
The Poet's Music
He set the great Kannada poems to song.
The Beloved
His songs are loved across the state.
The Simplicity
Beauty in the simplest of melodies.
Why it matters today
Mysore Ananthaswamy is honoured as the pioneer of Sugama Sangeetha — the musician who created the light music of Karnataka and set the great Kannada poems to song. His melodies remain the treasure of the state's music, and his name is remembered as the founder of its most beloved genre.