Ravikiran stunned the world in April 1969, with his ability to identify and render 325 ragas (melodic scales), 175 talas (rhythmic cycles) and answer complex questions when quizzed by luminaries including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Pandit Ravi Shankar, M S Subbulakshmi, Flute Mali, Palghat Mani Iyer, T N Krishnan, Ramnad Krishnan and Alla Rakha. "With mikes all around him and his hands full of biscuits, all the time playing, the child gave out correct answers", The Music Academy Journal, 1970 (recording events of 1969). His proclivity for music had been identified and nurtured by his father, maestro Chitravina Narasimhan even when Ravikiran was a toddler. Soon leading organisations in India including The Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha and Shanmukhananda Fine Arts featured him to sell-out crowds. While leading publications hailed Ravikiran as an "Unprecedented phenomenon", "The crown prince of music" and so forth, The Astrological Magazine of India 'proved' that Ravikiran was the re-incarnation of his grandfather, Gotuvadyam Narayana Iyengar. The Music Academy, Madras, awarded the two-year-old a monthly Scholarship. After his widely publicised appearances as a prodigy, Ravikiran moved on to become a vocalist under the careful guidance of his father, Narasimhan. The latter's unique teaching methods enabled Ravikiran to develop rigorous discipline and have fun with music at the same time. Over the next couple of years, Ravikiran acquired a repertoire approximating to 500 compositions, and was also trained in the deeper and improvisational aspects of Carnatic music, including the ragam-tanam-pallavi. Ravikiran debuted as a vocalist in 1972, at Coimbatore, India, at age five. His capacity to perform full-fledged three-hour concerts with senior accompanists, displaying rare mastery over both melodic and rhythmic aspects (such as singing a khanda ata tala varnam in khanda eka tala in the five jati-s) of Carnatic music, amazed scholars and lovers of music alike. Ravikiran presented concerts to packed audiences for major organisations in various cities until the age of 10, at which time (anticipating a voice change),he switched over to the beautiful 21-stringed chitravina. However, he resumed his vocal recitals in 1999 and now presents both vocal and instrumental concerts. His immense knowledge of music, musical acumen, imaginative approach, breath control, vocal techniques and diction, have made him a desired artiste in prominent venues both in and outside India. From 1986-96, Ravikiran had the rare privilege of learning from the celebrated vocalist T Brinda, widely acknowledged as a musicians' musician. His interaction with her added a whole new dimension to his perception of the microscopic nuances of music. His thematic vocal recitals on works of venerated composers such as Tyagaraja and Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi have won approbation from music lovers.