Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was a virtuoso Indian mandolin maestro and composer belonging to the classical Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India. Srinivas is regarded as the Mozart of classical Indian music.[2] "George Harrison's favourite piece of Indian music was Mandolin Ecstasy, an album recorded by a child prodigy from Madras called U Srinivas at the age of 13. It was, like, my dad's favourite album of all time," says (Dhani) Harrison. "U Srinivas is 27 now and still making music. He plays an electric five-string mandolin, he's fantastic...." [3] Over the next four decades, he toured across the world, and collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook.[4] At a very young age he was internationally viewed as the successor to Pandit Ravi Shankar.[5] When Srinivas gave his first performance it led to him being compared to the world's greatest prodigies: "Some of you have heard or read about exceptionally gifted children, our own Mandolin Srinivas, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Beethoven, Sir Isaac Newton, Picasso, Madam Curie, the list is endless."[6] (The Hindu, Sunday, May 3, 1992) He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998 by Government of India, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009.[7]He was an ardent devotee of the Paramacharya of Kanchi. He was also a follower and devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and had performed before him on several occasions.