Rithisha Padmanabh

Rithisha Padmanabh is one of the young and emerging kannada singer. It makes us happy that she hailed from a shivalli family. She is the proud daughter of Sri Padmanabha Kunjattaaya and Sudha Padmanabh. By birth, she was blessed by the amazing and pleasant voice to catch audience of any school. Right from the childhood her cultured education made her an icon in all the art fields. Continuous practice and clear aim took her to this height in her life.
This is the time to support Shivalli-Kannadiga girl, who stands at the top of her career, representing the whole Karnataka at the STAR Voice of India.

Rithisha Padmanabh is representing Karnataka in “Amul Star Voice of India“, a music reality show that is aired on Star Plus every Friday and Saturday at 10 PM. Rithisha was selected as the “Voice of Karnataka” in auditions conducted in Bangalore and Mumbai. She has been competing with contestants from 23 other states and has emerged as one among the top 8 singers of the country. The show is hosted by noted playback singer Shaan. The judges of the show are renowned playback singer Sukhvinder Singh, and music directors Ismail Darbar and Monty Sharma. Rithisha is the first contestant from Karnataka to be participating in a national level music reality show like Star Voice of India.

Rithisha has been presented with the National Balashree Award-2001 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. She has also received many other awards such as the Karnataka State Kalashree Award, Prartibha Chetana Puraskara Award from Women & Child Development department, Prathibhakankshi award from Sree Ramaseva  Mandali, etc. This 17-year-old nightingale has given various programmes in All India Radio, Doordarshan and various Kannada channels. Rithisha has solo Kannada albums such as Thangali and Banda govinda to her credit.  She has done playback singing with Vishnuvardhan, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, and eminent music directors like V. Manohar, Hamsalekha, Gurukiran and L. N. Shastri in Kannada movies when she was 5 to 10 years of age. Rithisha has been trained in Hindustani Classical music and has given several concerts in different parts of Karnataka.

It has always been her dream to represent Karnataka at a national level and make her state proud. She has now bagged this opportunity through Amul Star Voice of India. Amul Star Voice of India is based on a public voting procedure. So the people of Karnataka are requested to vote for this young singer and support her in achieving her goal of making Karnataka the “Sangeeth ki Mahanagari” of India.

Music Career:

Learning Hindustani Classical Music from Vidushi Smt.Geetha Hegde
Learning Bhavageethe from Smt. Malathi Sharma

Major Achievements:

1. Awards/Scholarships:

1. National Balashree Award-2001 presented at Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi
2. Felicitated  by Dr.Abdul Kalam, former President of India at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in 2005
3. Karnataka Kalashree Award-2001
4. Selected for SAREGAMAPA Challenge 2006 from Bangalore
5. Kavya ganga award from Attimabbe Prathishtana in 1998
6. Sur Sagar Scholarship for Hindustani Classical Music
7. Young Achiever’s Award from Bangalore Society for Performing Arts
8. Gold medal from Sadhana School of music in 2000
9. Youth Excellence award from Rotary Club of Bangalore in 2001
10. Gold medal from Gopinath Das Nyasa music academy in 2001
11. C.C.R.T. scholarship from central government
12. Prartibha Chetana Puraskara-2002 Award from Women & Child Development department.
13. Prathibhakankshi award from Sree Ramaseva  Mandali ,Bangalore
14. Leonardo Da Vinci International Award – 2008 presented at National Bal Bhavan.

2. All India Radio Programmes [solo and group songs from the age of 5]

1. 1995 : Snehagana
2. 1996 : Hakkiya Balaga
3. 1997 : Kalarava
4. 1998 : Hongirana
5. 1999 : Chukki Chinnari
6. 2000 : Nandana, Balajagath
7. 2001 : Nada Ninada-Patriotic songs
8. 2002 : Selected for performing Hindustani Vocal [children] regularly

3. Doordarshan

1. DD-9 : Sangeetha Lahari and Anthyakshari
2. Folk Songs [group songs]

4. Udaya TV

1. Sang songs for Sankranthi in 1998
2. Participated and won prizes in Anthyakshari programme in 1995, at the age of 5
3. Compered eight episodes of Children’s Anthyakshari programme as a lead singer in 1997
4. Performed Hindustani Classical vocal in Naada programme in two episodes in 2001 and two episodes in 2004
5. Performed in Geethanjali programme [Bhavageetha]

5. E-TV Kannada

1. Performed in weekly Naada Leele programme and sang five Bhavageethe songs

6. Star Plus

1. Voice of India talent Contest in 2007

7. Albums and Cassettes

1. Solo album “Thangali” released in 2002 with music composed by C.Ashwath, Raju Ananthaswamy and Bali
2. Solo Album of Devotional Songs-Banda Gvinda in 2004
3. Hakkina Haadu- music composed by Hamsalekha in 2002
4. Saavira Nadigalu and Vachana cassette [music by V.Manohar] in 2002
5. Devotional Songs Cassettes : four cassettes in Kannada and Tulu released in 2003 and sixteen cassettes in Kannada and Tulu released in 2004
6. Sang in “Chiv Chiv Gubbi”, a cassette released in 1998
7. Sang in “Vidya”, a cassette released in 1998
8. Sang in “Thaayinamana”, a cassette released in 1999

8. Stage programmes
Hindustani Classical :

1. Udaya Raaga, a prestigious programme organized by Kannada Sanskruti Ilaake in Cubbon Park in 2002
2. About twenty concerts in Bangalore, Mysore, Sirsi, Hubli and Pondicherry
3. ISKCON, Bangalore
4. Concert at Sree Ramaseva Mandali(Kote) in 2006 and won “Pratibhakankshi” award
5. Concert  at Sree Ramaseva Samithi-Sheshadripuram in 2007
6. Concert at Indian Institute of World Culure-Basavanagudi

9. Light Music

1. Performed in Bangalore, Mysore, Mandya and Hyderabad
2. About 10 concerts in Vikasana academy of music
3. About 10 concerts in Ramya Cultural Academy
4. About 10 concerts in Upasana Sangeetha Academy
5. About 5 concerts in Hombale Pratibha Ranga
6. AIR children’s day programmes [3]
7. Adarsha Sugama Sangeeta Academy [2]
8. Indian Institute of Music and Arts
9. Gayanotsava programme organized by C.Ashwath
10. Sadhana School of Music
11. Anantha Bhava programme in Mysore
12. “Chiguru” programme in 2001 organized by Kannada & Cultural Department of Karnataka

10. Has won about 300 prizes in state level music competitions in Classical and Light Music organized by various organizations like :

1. ISCKON Heritage Fest-Bangalore
2. Bangalore Gayana Samaja
3. Bharatha Bharathi Sangeetha Pratishtana
4. Karnataka Sangeetha and Nritya Academy
5. Shubharam Trust
6. Malleshwaran Sangeetha Sabha
7. Sri Madhwa Sangha
8. R.T.Nagar Cultural Association
9. POWERS
10. Attimabbe Prathishtana
11. Ramya Cultural Academy
12. Kerala Samaja
13. Hombale Pratibha Ranga
14. Kannada Sahitya Parishath
15. Adarsha Sugama Sangeetha Academy
16. Ramanamaharshi Centre for Learning
17. Ranga Shilpi Academy
18. Shashi Kalavidaru
19. Sangeetha Ganga
20. Kannada Sanskruthi Ilaake
21. V.V.S.Lalithakala Academy
22. Indian Institute of Music and Arts
23. Aryabhata Cultural Organization
24. Sadhana School of Music
25. Aradhana Sangeetha School

11. Playback Singing for 23 Kannada films
Suryavamsha, Indradhunush, Ulta Pulta, Premi no 1, Amma ninna tholinalli, Baanallu neene bhuviyallu neene, Jilladhikari, Hello Narada, Chitte, Vali, Manase O manase, Mooru manasu nooru kanasu, Shivappa nayaka, Balarama, Preethislebeku, Devara makkalu, Balashiva, Sri RenukaDevi Mahatme, Magic Ajji, Kowsalya Supraja, Kodanda Rama, Ayyo Paandu, Monda

12. Playback Singing for Kannada TV Serials
Trin trin trin, Kannamuchaale, Anupallavi

13. Recognition and appreciation in newspapers and magazines like Deccan Herald, The Hindu, Udayavani, Kannada Prabha,Prajavani,Vijaya Karnataka, Sudha, Roopataara, etc.

For further details regarding Rithisha and to watch videos visit http://rithisha.wordpress.com