P. Kalinga Rao

P. Kalinga Rao

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Category: Music

P. Kalinga Rao Profile

  • Name:
  • P. Kalinga Rao
  • Other Name:
  • Pandeshwara Kalinga Rao
  • Died:
  • September 21, 1981
  • Born / Home Town:
  • Aroor

P. Kalinga Rao Biography

P. Kalinga Rao was a legendary music composer associated with Kannada language films, apart from Bhavageet and Sugama Sangeeth. He excelled as a Sugama sangeeth and Bhav Geet singer. He has composed many folk, lullaby, poetry, patriotic and devotional songs for Kannada language and rendered his voice as well. He popularized Kannada Bhav Geet, and he is regarded as a pioneer of the Kannada sugama sangeeta genre of music. His composer-singer tradition was carried forward by Mysore Ananthaswamy, C. Ashwath and Shimoga Subbanna, popularizing sugama sangeet particularly in the 1990s. It is difficult to imagine Kannada light music without P. Kalinga Rao.

 

His full name is Pandeshwara Kalinga Rao. He was born on 1914 in Aroor, Udupi. Rao was married to Meenakshamma and the couple had 4 children. Rao was a primary school drop-out, but he excelled in 6 languages. He took formal training in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Kalingo Rao was active in the music scene since 1950s and through his songs he popularized Kannada Bhavgeet and Sugama sangeeth, a form of light music. Most of his songs were recorded by All India Radio and gramophone companies. He composed many of the songs of Kuvempu, Bendre, and K S Narasimha Swamy and recorded them in 78 rpm gramophone record, three-minute discs etc thus popularizing them among Kannada music loving audience.

 

An instant composer some of his popular poetry compositions of Kuvempu include - Baagilolu Kaimugidu and Anantadim. He popularized some of the traditional pieces of music such as Thoogiro Chinnava, Baarayya Beladingale, Moodal Kunigal Kere, and devotional songs of Purandara Dasa such as Yaaru Hithavaru Ninage, Maadu Sikkadalla etc. Udayavagali Namma Cheluva Kannada Nadu by Huilgol Narayana Rao was one of his famous renditions which inspired the Kannada unification movement. It is regarded as a landmark in Kannada light music. Rao died on September 21, 1981. A compilation of his works was released in the form of a CD in 2010 titled Barayya Beladingale.

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Updated: April 09, 2016

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