Hyderabad Brothers

Hyderabad Brothers

D. Raghavachari and D. Seshachari, popularly known as Hyderabad Brothers, are a singing duo and exponents of Carnatic music.

They belong to a family of traditional classical musicians and were initially training by their father Daroor Ratnamacharyulu. Their mother D Sulochana Devi was also a carnatic classical musician.

Over the years, the brothers have performed in various reputed musical forums, including All India Radio and Doordarshan. The Hyderabad Brothers have at least 50 musical CDs and cassettes to their credit. Besides numerous performances in India, they have also performed in various countries abroad.

While Seshachari’s is known for his more robust, deep and resonant singing, and Raghavachary’s rendition is known to be mellow and soft in comparison. Hyderabad Brothers themselves have an appeal for connoisseurs for their wonderfully synchronised singing and individual styles which complement each other perfectly.

Their musical skills and style are often compared to that of the legendary Alathur Brothers by their fans. Ramesh Hariharan is among the many prominent musicians who have received formal training from Hyderabad Brothers.

Early in their career, they received the Best Young Talent Award in 1977 and 1978 by the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Hyderabad. The Madras Music Academy honoured them as the best vocalists for three consecutive years—1990, 1991, and 1992. In 1993, The Music Academy presented them the Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer Award for the best rendering of rare Thyagaraja kritis. They were also honoured by the prestigious Krishna Gana Sabha as Best Vocalists in 1988, 1990 and 1991. In 1992, the duo were nominated as aasthana vidwans of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham to mark the 58th birthday of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. In 2011 they were bestowed with the Senior Outstanding Vocalists award by the Madras Music Academy in Chennai. In 2012, the Hyderabad brothers were felicitated with the Kalarathna award from the government of Andhra Pradesh. To recognise their contribution to the Indian classical music they were conferred the title Sangeetha Choodamani by the Indian community in Austin, Texas.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi has also presented its prestigious award to the Hyderabad Brothers in the Carnatic classical music category for the year 2013.

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