Bapu Padmanabha/Bapu Flute

Bapu Padmanabha, known as Bapu Flute, is a musician and composer who performs Hindustani classical music on his bansuri, a type of bamboo flute. He was born in Harihar which is in Davanagere District of Karnataka state in India.

Bapu's grandfather Bheema Rao was a harmonium player, who started to guide Bapu in the essence of classical music on that instrument. Bapu's younger sister was a singer who was learning Hindustani classical music under the noted musician Shivaraj Gavaayi; Bapu started playing according to her musical notes.

Bapu was studying tool engineering in Hospet, Karnataka. His knowledge of music was limited to the notes of the harmonium as taught by his grandfather. He became so obsessed with the flute that he started treating his idol Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia as his guru in his absence. He purchased all audio cassettes of Hariprasad Chaurasia and started imitating his style.

Bapu left his job which he had gotten after completing mechanical engineering in TACO Tata Automotive Components in Pune. He left the job after a year to dedicate himself full-time to a musical career.

His first major performance was in OSHO Samadhi at Osho commune meditation in September 2001. This proved to be a turning point of his musical career.

Concerts by Bapu Padmanabha:

• Swar Sagar Sangeet Mahotsav Pune.
• Special performance at Amma Mutt at Nigadi Pradhikaran Pune.
• Classical Evening Samskara Bharati Pune.
• Rahimat Khan Festival Dharwad.
• Shivaratri Festival Siruguppa.
• FTII Pune Soothing Melodies Pune.
• Aho Ratri Sangeet Mahotsav Alalndi.
• Raag Sandhya Raipur.
• Aantardhwani Hospet.
• Panchakshari Gavayi Punya Tithi Bellary.
• Panchakshari Gavayi Punya Tithi Sindhanur.
• Panchakshari Gavayi Punya Tithi Hospet.
• Nanak Keertan Himachal Pradesh.
• Hemakund Utsav Hemakund.
• Nanak Darbar Delhi.
• Guru Vandana Garware College Pune.
• Rotary Festival Nigdi Pune.
• Hampi Utsav Hampi.
• Sawai Gandharva Festival Kundagol.
• Tarala Balu Hunnime Sirigere.
• Gavisiddeshwara Jatra Koppal.

Bapu has performed at many major festivals across India, and he has been invited by the Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Centre and world's best cruise Alaska Bahama to introduce Indian classical music to their audiences.

Bapu composed music for the film Allama Prabhu produced by Yajaman Enterprises, M.D. SriHari, L. Khoday Khoday Group, and directed by T. S. Nagabharana. Apart from this Bapu played for various Kannada movies and other audio projects as a recording artist and background flute artist. He also worked with famous directors of the Kannada industry like Sunil Kumar Desai. He has worked as a music director for a few Bengali films at FTII, and he worked with Kedar Awati for the film Maya the Reality which won the best digital film award at New York featuring Sonali Kulkarni, Mohan Agashe, and other Marathi theatre artists. In Kannada he has worked on films such as "Surya the Great" and "Neenolida Kshanadinda", and worked with singers including Shankar Mahadevan Hariharan Rajesh Krishnan and Shaan.