V. Dakshinamoorthy

Dakshinamoorthy
Background information
Birth nameVenkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy Iyer
Also known asSwamy
Born(1919-12-09)9 December 1919
Haripad, Quilon, Travancore (Present-day Alappuzha district, Kerala)
OriginAlappuzha, Kerala, India
Died2 August 2013(2013-08-02) (aged 93)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
GenresCarnatic music
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Harmonium, Vocal
Years active1950 – 2013[1]

Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy (9 December 1919 – 2 August 2013) was a veteran carnatic musician and composer and music director of Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films. His work was predominantly in Malayalam cinema.

He has set scores for the songs in over 125 films, and composed as many as 1400 songs over a period of 63 years. Fondly known as Swami, he was instrumental in pioneering classical music-based film songs. Revered as one of the forefathers of the Malayalam music industry, he has mentored many of the renowned contemporary singers and composers including P. Leela and K. J. Yesudas.[2]

In 1998, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for his contributions to Malayalam cinema.

  1. ^ "നാലു തലമുറയെ പാടിച്ച നാദര്‍ഷി". Mathrubhumi Daily (in Malayalam). Kochi, India. 3 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Dakshinamoorthy loved me like his son, says Yesudas; portrait unveiled at home". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 19 July 2021.