Bapu Padmanabha (born 18 November 1978) is an Indian bansuri flautist, vocalist, composer, and music producer, widely recognized for his contributions to Hindustani Classical Music, Mantra Chanting, Meditative Music, Vachana Renditions, and Kannada Film Scoring. He is best known for his work as a National Award–winning Music Director, receiving both Best Music Director (Songs) and Best Background Score at the 64th National Film Awards (2016).
Born in Harihar, Davanagere District, Karnataka, Bapu began his musical journey with a village-fair flute that awakened a lifelong devotion to sound, spirituality, and the expressive depth of the Indian bamboo flute. Trained under the legendary Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia at the Brindavan Gurukul, Mumbai, developed a distinctive style marked by classical purity, meditative stillness, and contemporary creative exploration. He is a recipient of the Pannadevi Music Scholarship, awarded by his Guru in recognition of his musical promise.
Bapu’s body of work spans Indian Classical Ragas, World Music, Meditation and Healing Music, and Vedic and Vachana Chanting. His discography includes more than 46 albums, featuring titles such as Meditation Flute, Journey with Shiva, Rudra Chantings, Purusha Sukta, Relaxing Ragas, Vachana Dhyana, Chill Flute, Adi Shankaracharya Stotras, and the multi-volume series Angadinda Lingadedege. His albums have gained global listenership among meditation practitioners, spiritual seekers, yoga communities, and classical music enthusiasts.
As a composer and music director, Bapu has contributed significantly to Kannada cinema, including the acclaimed feature film ALLAMA, directed by T. S. Nagabharana, and Genius Mutta (2024). His music has been released by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, under the Music as Therapy series.
Bapu has performed extensively across India and internationally, collaborating with artists from Germany, Italy, Australia, Africa, and the Czech Republic. He has appeared at major classical music festivals and worked with leading Indian vocalists such as Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Shaan, and others.
As an educator, Bapu is the founder of Aantardhwani – Sound and Emotions, an initiative focused on connecting ancient sound traditions with contemporary life. He has conducted numerous workshops, seminars, and lecture-demonstrations on music education, improvisation, mantra chanting, and the healing power of sound.
Today, Bapu Padmanabha is recognized as one of India’s distinguished bansuri musicians—an artist whose work is rooted in tradition yet visionary in expression. His compositions, performances, and teachings continue to inspire a global community of students, listeners, and spiritual practitioners.