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Hindustani classical vocalist Sangeeta Katti-Kulkarni is a senior artiste well-known in the music industry. She hails from Dharwad. Her first teacher was her father, followed by gurus Sheshagiri Dandapur, Chandrashekhar Puranikmath, Basavaraj Rajguru and Kishori Amonkar. Sangeetha has done playback singing for 400 movies, mainly in Kannada. She made her debut as a music director for the movie ‘July 22 1947’, which released in August 2016. The artist has sung in more than 5,000 solo concerts. She is the recipient of awards like ‘Vachanasahityashri prashasti’, ‘Ramanashree prashasti’, ‘Chennaveera Basava Prashasti’ and the ‘Suvarana Karnataka Rajyotsav’ award. Sangeeta is the founder and director of ‘Surbahar’.

Author

Dr S L Bhyrappa

Dr S L Bhyrappa is my favourite author. His way of writing is quite convincing. His writing has many twists and turns which glues the reader to his work; he gives importance to details and the pace. One simply cannot put down a work by him. I love his works like ‘Daatu’. I also love reading poetry by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Javed Akhtar and Gulzar.”

Actor

Raj Kapoor

“Raj Kapoor was a mesmerising actor. Though he did comic roles, had a certain style like none other. His movies like ‘Awara’ and ‘Mera Naam Joker’, were phenomenal.
Amitabh Bachchan is another favourite. It’s not only his looks and dialogue delivery but also the way he carries himself that sets him aside. In female actors, I loved Sridevi. She has been an all-time idol and I used to collect all her pictures whenever I laid my hands on them.”

Travel

Varanasi

“I love travelling. Travel opens one up to different experiences. In India, I love going to Varanasi and Jaipur. Varanasi is a great space for musicians, has the best vibe and ambience to it. Though it is not very clean I love to visit the place as often as I can. For short trips, I love going to Mysuru or Badami etc. I could just walk across these places.”

Musician

Lata Mangeshkar

“Lata Mangeshkar dedicated her whole life to music and that commitment is commendable. She was blessed with a divine power. I admire all my gurus too. When it comes to instrumental music, I look up to Ustad Gulab Khan and Hariprasad Chaurasia. In non-filmy music, I love Mehdi Hassan.”

Inspiration

Mother Teresa

“I met Mother Teresa when I was a very young child. I heard that she was coming to my hometown and I convinced my father to let me meet her. Though I didn’t know a lot about her then, I realised that people like her can inspire many others. Later on, I realised her selfless attitude is something musicians learn from their gurus too.”

Food

Sev Puri

“I am a foodie and a good cook. My friends and family enjoy my cooking. As for me, I love ‘Chaats’ of which ‘Sev Puri’ is a favourite. I do not have a sweet tooth but I enjoy having ‘obattu’, which I can eat for days. The city houses many wonderful places, especially darshinis, which provide the best idli, ‘masala dosa’ and coffee.”