Who is south India's biggest music producer? The answer is G.Manoharan Naidu, and he lives right here in our midst in Bangalore.
You may not see his photo in glossy business magazines. That's because he is very quiet and unassuming. But ask anyone in the know and they will tell you that Manohar is a star of the Indian music industry. His company owns 6,500 titles, and even if you have never heard about him, you will surely have heard his tapes.
Manohar's is a saga of hard work and enterprise. Most business tycoons are children of rich fathers, but not Manohar. He was born into a middle class family in Bangalore, and domestic circumstances forced him to drop out of school. But that didn't curb his imagination, or enterprise.

Manohar began his career as a cosmetics salesman. He had innovative ideas, and helped his employer, a certain Jain, to expand his business. Impressed by his sincerity, Jain gifted him a tape recorder. Manohar started recording songs from a record player and played them to his friends. Those were the days when gramophone records dominated the music market. Records were expensive, difficult to carry, and broke easily. Manohar's friends loved the convenience of audio cassettes, and a bright business idea took shape in his mind. He started recording hit songs on two tapes and began marketing them through unconventional outlets. Bangle stores, automobile parts shop, beeda stalls. Business boomed and he opened a cassette shop in Gandhinagar.

In 1980, Manohar launched Lahari Recording Company. His investment was just Rs.500, but his vision was big.
Lahari started buying audio rights from film producers. Film producers welcomed Lahari's initiative. In those days, music labels paid a royalty of just 12 percent on sale of cassettes. Film producer has no way of checking sales figures and often felt shortchanged. But they had no alternative and had learnt to live with this unfair arrangement. Manohar's company changed all that. Lahari bought audio rights by paying a handsome lumpsum royalty. Producers did not have to wait for the tapes to sell before they got their money. Lahari paid its royalties in advance. When Manohar paid Rs. 70 Lakhs for the Audio rights of Manirathnam's Dalapathi he shocked the music industry, and it was never the same again' Manohars revolutionary ideas infused great enthusiasm into the music industry. More and more artistes began recording - albums, secured in the knowledge that they would not be cheated of their due. Manohar dealt with the biggest names in the music industry, and, at the same time, encouraged talented but unknown artistes this philosophy earned him respect both as a matured businessman and a promoter of fresh talent. Lahari's range extends from folk, devotional, and classical to film music.
In 1990, Manohar imported a Binloop machine which helped in increasing production. He also set up a press to print the inlay cards. Lahari has 150 employees, who work together as one big family.
In 1994, the Delhi Telugu Sangha honoured Manohar with the Best Entrepreneur Award. He was presented the Vijaya Shree Award in 1996. A little later, the Commercial Prestige and Best Trade Name Award came to him from Mexico. The Andhra Pradesh Government gave him the Vamsi Berkeley Award for producing Manirathnam's landmark film Roja. Hombale Institute hailed Lahore for its services to suguma sangeetha. And in 1999, the Karnataka Government decorated him with the Rajyotsava Award.
Manohar's fighting spirit continues. He recently slashed the price of his cassettes to Rs.20 and stunned Audio Pirates. It was also his way of passing on the cost benefits of mass production to the music lover.
Lahari has a network of offices and sales outlets all over the country. Manohar is a man who will not rest on his laurels. He has bigger dreams, and the music lover and the music industry will definitely benefit from his new projects.