Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre(Kannada:ದತ್ತಾತ್ರೇಯ ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ಬೇಂದ್ರೆ ; Marathi: दत्तात्रेय रामचंद्र बेंद्रे) (31 January 1896 – 21 October 1981) was amongst the most famous of Kannada poets of the Navodaya Period. Praised as varakavi, literally 'gifted poet', he was the second person among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the highest literary honour conferred in India. He wrote under the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta ("Datta, Child of Ambika"). He also held the title Karnataka kula Thilaka ("The light of the Kannada Nation") conferred by Udupi Adamaru Math. He was conferred Padma Shri by Government of India.

He was born on into a Madhwa Brahmin family at Dharwad in Karnataka. His Grand father was a Dasagranthi (Master of ten volumes of sacred lore) and scholar in Sanskrit classical literature. Dattatreya's father was also a Sanskrit scholar who died when Dattatreya was only 12 years old. Dattatreya later adopted the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta which literally means Datta, son of Ambika after his mother who ran a Khanavali or eatery to feed the family. Bendre completed his primary and high school education in Dharwad with his uncle's help and completed his matriculation in 1913. He joined the Fergusson College, Pune for his higher education. After obtaining his degree Bendre returned to Dharwad and started teaching at Victoria high school. He married Laxmibai from Ranebennur in 1919. He obtained his Master of Arts degree in 1935.

C. Aswath (Kannada: ಸಿ. ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥ; 1939 – 29 December 2009) was an Indian music composer and exponent of Bhavageete ("expressive poetry") in the Kannada language. He was also a singer, and had sung many of his own compositions. He was credited with singing Bhavageete songs and making sure that they reached the common man. He died on 29 December 2009 on his birthday. He was suffering from renal and liver failures.

C. Aswath is a household name in Karnataka. He is, perhaps the only Music Director in Karnataka, to have carved a niche of his own in all three fields that demand music as an element of expression: Theatre, Sugam Sangeetha and Film.

He was born on 29 December 1939. He was graduated in Science from Bangalore University and later worked in Indian Telephone Industries for 27 years before retiring as an Executive Engineer in 1992. He started his musical career as a disciple of Devagiri Shankararao Joshi in Hindustani Music.

He turned 71 on 29 December 2009. His friends and well wishers had planned to celebrate his 70th birthday in a special way. A function was to be held at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore and Swamiji of Suttur and Virendra Hegde were to felicitate him on the occasion this evening. After this, he was expected to sing his popular songs. Ashwath died on his birthday. His death left Kannada music lovers in a pool of tears.

Raju Ananthaswamy was a Kannada composer, singer and music director. He worked on Sugama Sangeetha for more than 15 years. He was the son of vocalist Mysore Ananthaswamy. He died in 2009, at the age of 39.

Raju Ananthaswamy displayed great musical aptitude from a young age and began playing tabla in his father’s troupe. In addition to tabla, he could play a variety of other musical instruments including the guitar, mandolin and keyboard.

Raju’s compositions and singing style was unique as well as greatly influenced by his father, late Mysore Ananthaswamy. His songs, Krishna Yenabaarade, Madhava, Beldingal raathrili, Tunge Dadadalli, Heege ondu Raathri are mile stones among his compositions and authenticate his unique style of composing. He was very well known for his song Yaava mohana murali kareyitu from America America and Hottare yedbittu from movie Rishi.

Raju was an artiste in All India Radio and regularly appeared on Radio City, Doordarshan, Udaya TV, Zee Kannada and ETV TV channels. He performed with his troupe all year round. He used to set aside his weekends to teach sugama sangeetha to several students. Though Raju had set to tune more than 200 poems, he enjoyed singing his father’s compositions, which he also aspires to preserve and promote, during his performances. He was able to pass these on to the younger generation as well as his many students, through his Sugama Sangeetha school in Mysore and Bangalore.