He was trained in the Hindustani form of Indian classical music during his formative years under his guru, Sheshadri Gavai of Bangalore.

Atri specialized in sugama sangeetha (light music), the modern singing form.

He believed that music improves the qualities of human beings and it could reform even criminals.

[citation needed] He founded the Sangeetha Ganga, a foundation and music school to train and encourage young and upcoming singers in Kannada.

have been instituted in his memory by public cultural organizations to discover and encourage young talents.