Vatapi Ganapatim, also known as Vatapi ganapatim bhaje ham or Vatapi ganapatim bhaje, is a Sanskrit kriti song by the South Indian poet-composer Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775–1835), one of the "Trinity of Carnatic music". The panegyrical hymn praises Vatapi Ganapati, Ganesha (Ganapati) worshipped in a shrine in Tiruchenkattankudi in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The hymn is composed in Hamsadhvani raga (musical mode), however in tradition of kritis, individual performers add their own variations in the tune. Vatapi Ganapatim is described as the best-known piece of Muthuswami Dikshitar as well as one of the most popular compositions of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music school). The hymn is traditionally sung at the beginning of many Carnatic music concerts.
Madras Lalitangi Vasanthakumari (popularly referred to as MLV) (3 July 1928 – 31 October 1990) was a Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. MLV and her contemporaries D.K.Pattammal and M.S.Subbulakshmi were popularly referred to as the "female trinity of Carnatic Music. A prime disciple of the G. N. Balasubramaniam, she was the youngest among the established musicians of that era, and was the youngest female awardee of the Sangita Kalanidhi award.
Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music (both liturgical and secular). It encompasses a broad span of time from roughly the 11th century to the present day.
