U. Srinivas: Mandolin Maestro

U. Shrinivas is the artist who forged a role for the mandolin in Karnatic music, and is that particular instruments chief exponent. He modified the mandolin by reducing that instrument's normal 4 pairs of strings to 4 single strings, and added a bass note for the drone. That he can achieve the inflections required to correctly reproduce gamakas on this instrument is an extraordinary feat of skill. Moreover, his melodic improvisations are of extraordinary power and grace, to the extent that one critic has labelled him "instrumental improvisationist of the century".

U. Shrinivas gave his first recital in his native Andra-Pradesh in 1980, and is now settled in Madras, where he is recognized as a senior artiste.

He learnt music initially from his father and later from the vocalist Rudraraju Subbaraju.