Renowned for his deep scholarship, classical purity and aesthetic refinement, he has made unparalleled contributions to the preservation and propagation of carnatic music. As a mentor, performer and scholar, he continues to inspire generations of students and rasikas, upholding the timeless values of devotion, discipline and excellence that form the foundation of carnatic tradition. 

Born in 1943, he hails from a family of reputed musicians for over 3 generations, trained by his father Vid. R K Narayanaswamy and uncle Vid. R K Venkatarama Sastry. 

One of the senior-most 'A Top' graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has been conferred with numerous awards apart from prestigious Padmashri by the government of India (2018), central Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (2015), Sangeeta Kala Acharya (2016), Karnataka Kalashree (2003), Rajyotsava Award (1992), Sangeetha Vidyanidhi (2005), Sangeetha Kalaratna (2017), Ananya Puraskar (2014), Swaramurthy V N Rao Memorial National Award (2008), K K Murthy Memorial Chowdiah National Award (2012), S V Narayanaswamy Rao Memorial National Award (2024), Bangalore Nagaratnamma Memorial Award (2005), Purandara Acharya Award (2025), Nada Brahma (2021), Ganakala Suvarna (2020), Bharatiya Raga Ratna (2025).

While pursuing his concert career, Thyagarajan, an MSc. in Mathematics joined the All India Radio, Mysore in 1976, later Doordarshan Kendra (Chennai and Bangalore) and retired as Deputy Director of Programmes in 2003. Afterwards, he worked as a guest faculty in the Department of Performing Arts for MA in Music, Jain Deemed University, Bangalore from 2011 to 2021.

He began his concert career in 1956 and since then for over seventy years, has been performing duet concerts regularly all over the country and abroad.

Namaskara

I am Rudrapatnam N Thyagarajan. 

For decades, I have devoted my life to Carnatic music — both as a performer and as a teacher, passing on this art to my students in the traditional way, the way it was passed on to me. I am happy to share that two of my own disciples, Navalkishore Kulkarni and Soumya Santhosh, have built something truly special — SwaraVibes, an online platform that brings authentic Carnatic music learning to students anywhere in the world.

What I appreciate most about SwaraVibes is that it does not compromise on tradition. The compositions, the notations, the guidance — all of it stays true to how this music has been taught for generations, while making it accessible through thoughtfully designed lessons and the guidance of dedicated teachers. The platform offers sing-along videos, audio lessons with animated taala, and real-time highlighted scripts that make learning easy to follow. Students can join online classes, or choose to learn at their own pace through the self-learning platform. Whether you are a beginner taking your first steps into swara and taala, or a serious student looking to deepen your practice, SwaraVibes offers a space that is disciplined, nurturing, and rooted in authenticity.

The contents in SwaraVibes website is very much satisfactory for students to learn as I have listened to the recordings and also videos.

With great happiness I convey my best wishes and also my blessings to all students and gurus who are involved in this nice platform. This platform will definitely help the students in learning basic and advanced levels in Carnatic Classical music and I request all music enthusiasts to utilise this platform which helps to appreciate and enjoy the traditional Carnatic Classical music. 

In this present generation it is very much necessary to educate the listeners regarding Carnatic Classical music. 

So I am very confident that this platform definitely helps to educate and prepare the students for preserving our traditional Classical music.

Wish Sri Navalkishore Kulkarni and Soumya Shagrithaya a great success in their venture for promoting Carnatic Classical music among students for preserving our tradition and also my best wishes to them in continuing the platform SwaraVibes.