Carnatic vocalist R. K. Padmanabha to get the Chowdiah Award 2026 in Bengaluru

The Carnatic vocalist R. K. Padmanabha, 78, has been chosen for the Chowdiah Award 2026. He will receive it on 15 November in Bengaluru at the Chowdiah Utsava, the Academy of Music’s annual festival and awards, The Hindu reported.

The award is named after the violinist T. Chowdiah, one of the best-known Carnatic musicians of the 20th century.

Who he is

Mr. Padmanabha, known in music circles as RKP, has been singing for about 70 years and performing on stage for 50. He has written about 60 books, including five novels and four plays about music. He has also taught, acted and recorded many albums.

He was born in Rudrapatna, a village on the Cauvery in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district. The village is known for producing a large number of Carnatic musicians. He did not come from a family of musicians, he told The Hindu.

A link to Chowdiah

He trained at Chowdiah’s Ayyanar College of Music in Mysuru. He told the paper that as a six-year-old he waited for hours to see the violinist, who blessed him. He called the award an honour because he admired Chowdiah deeply.

Chowdiah was known as a soloist and as an accompanist to leading singers. He also designed a seven-stringed violin and composed songs.

What’s next

The award will be presented at the Chowdiah Utsava in Bengaluru on 15 November.