U. Srinivas (Uppalapu Srinivas) is associated with which musical instrument?

Explanation

Uppalapu Srinivas (1969-2014), popularly known as "Mandolin Srinivas", was a child prodigy who became one of the greatest instrumentalists of Carnatic music. He is famous for adapting the mandolin, a Western instrument, to Carnatic classical music.

• Srinivas was born in Palakollu, in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. He began playing the mandolin at the age of six, after he picked up his father's instrument, and he gave his first public concert at the age of nine. Carnatic music is mostly vocal-centric, with long, sliding ornaments called gamakas, and many people believed that the mandolin, with its frets and short notes, could not express these ornaments. Srinivas modified the instrument, using an electric mandolin with five single strings instead of the usual pairs, and developed a technique that allowed him to play the gamakas beautifully. He performed in all the major venues of India and the world, and he also collaborated with Western musicians, such as John McLaughlin, Michael Brook and Michael Nyman, in fusion and world music projects, including the group Remember Shakti. He was known for his humility as well as his genius. He received the Padma Shri in 1998, when he was not yet 30, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2010). He died in Chennai in September 2014, at the age of 45.

Why not the other options?

Veena is the traditional instrument of Carnatic music, linked with players such as S. Balachander, Chitti Babu and Jayanthi Kumaresh.

Violin is linked with Carnatic players such as Lalgudi Jayaraman, L. Subramaniam and M.S. Gopalakrishnan.

Flute is linked with Carnatic players such as T.R. Mahalingam and N. Ramani.