Few in the music field can claim the pedigree that khanjira artist Anirudh Athreya has. His great grandfathers Sangita Kalanidhis ‘Papa’ K.S. Venkatramaiah and Alathur Sivasubramania Iyer were musical icons in the twentieth century. His maternal grandfather, V. Thyagarajan, was a reputable violinist, and grand-uncle V. Nagarajan was a veteran khanjira vidwan.

Born on 4 September 1988 into a family of musical legends and taking up music as a career can be daunting to most.
High expectations from rasikas and constant comparison with the elders are bound to create unease in the
performers’ hearts. Yet,  musicians such as Anirudh Athreya have adhered to their bani and created a niche for themselves in the music world. Having tried his hand at both violin and Carnatic vocal, Anirudh Athreya finally settled for the khanjira, polishing his art and becoming one of his generation’s most skilled khanjira artists.

Not only is he a regular accompanist to several accomplished artists, but has also teamed up with his guru T.K. Murthy, and senior mridangam artists such as Trichy Sankaran, Guruvayur Dorai and Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam.