Carnatic Music has survived contrary to all the gloom and doom that was predicted. New perfomers appear, new labels released and new sabhas are born every year. If Carnatic music is still heard all over the world and makes an emphatic and grand statement of survival each year during the December season, it is because of the great artistes who bore the art form aloft. A colourful lot, much has been written about their art and the way they presented it. But very little has been written about their lives and their lifestyles, which must have had a significant bearing on their art. This book looks at the lives of a select group of twenty-two such artistes who were top ranking performers.