L. S. Narayanaswamy Bhagavatar

L. S. Narayanaswamy Bhagavatar was a musician of distinction in Carnatic music. His father, L. Shamanna of Chikmagalur, was also a gifted Harikatha vidwan, and music became central to Bhagavatar's life from his earliest days.

He received his initial training under Vidwan Krishnappa. Soon after his matriculation, he went to Madras and practised music under Vidwan Namakkal Narasimha Iyengar. He later received intensive training from Vidwan Conjeevaram Nayana Pillai, whose bold and original approach to pallavi elaboration and swaraprastara gave Bhagavatar a firm grounding in the intricacies of classical music.

Alongside his vocal training, Bhagavatar became proficient on the violin. He had the rare opportunity to hear the violin performances of Vidwan Trichy Govindaswamy Pillai, and the source material describes him as having followed and absorbed many of that master's techniques with the devotion of an Ekalavya.

Bhagavatar's command over the theoretical and practical aspects of music was admired, and his repertoire was described as astounding. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of art, resisted mechanical repetition, and treated music as a language of communion between the human soul and the Divine.

His raga expositions in Shankarabharana, Begade, Bilahari, Kamboji, and Manirangu were remembered as inimitable. In 1935, he settled in Bangalore and began teaching music through the gurukula method at his residence, training many disciples in both vocal music and violin.

Apart from vocal concerts, Bhagavatar gave innumerable violin solo concerts. In 1953, he founded Vijaya College of Music with the aim of popularising classical music and making training available to both the affluent and the commoner alike.

In 1967, Bhagavatar was inspired to set slokas from the Valmiki Ramayanam to music. This grew into his magnum opus, Ramayana in Song, where selected passages, ragas, talas, and sollukattu were shaped to express the bhava and rasa of the epic. He was assisted in compiling this musical feature by his student Smt. K. S. Shantamani.

Ramayana in Song was later presented in parts during Sri Ramanavami in 1971 by All India Radio, Bangalore, recorded at AIR Pondicherry in 1975, and broadcast by South Indian stations. Many musicians, staff, and students of Vijaya College of Music contributed to its success in sabhas and radio broadcasts. Bhagavatar passed away on March 31, 1970.