Shencottah Gangaadhaara Kittappa (25 August 1906 – 2 December 1933) was a Tamil classical singer and stage actor who was active in the pre-cinema days of the 1920s.
Kittappa was born in a Tamil Brahmin Iyer family in Shenkottai in the then Kingdom of Travancore to Ganagaadhara Aiyer.
Due to the weak financial condition of the family, Kittappa did not receive any formal education but was trained in music and screenplay by Sankaradas Swamigal.
The Ceylon Indian Chamber of Commerce awarded him a gold medal and certificate of appreciation for his artistic talents.
As his brother, Kaasi Aiyyer was a good harmonium player, he teamed up perfectly with Kittappaa to produce the best of songs to the standard prevalent in those days.
At times KBS and SGK acted in dramas like Thookku Thookki, Nandanaar, Dasavatharam Aandaal, etc.
The Pandit who was scheduled to return by night mail stayed back to see SGK's drama, called "Krishna Vilasam".
This Pandit had a great liking for the bhajan "Ragupathi Ragava Rajaram Patheetha Pavana Seetharam".
Therefore, SGK made it a point to sing this piece at the tail end of his dramas in remembrance of their historical meeting.
At another time another famous north Indian Sangeetha Vidvan by the name of Pyaaraa Saheb came to perform his songs in the Victoria Public Hall of Madras.
Malaikkottai Govindasamy Pillai appeared on stage and awarded him a gold medal and glorified him to a superlative level.
Kanjipuram Nayana Pillai appeared on stage and said "Had SGK taken up singing in katcheri, people like me would have become unknown figures."
Mr and Mrs Eechim of Boston fame came to Tiruchirappalli and happened to witness the katcheri of Kittappa in the Rasika Ranjani Saba.
Kittappa and Sundarambal's relations soured, he went back to his first wife, and soon after that, his addiction to alcohol claimed his life in 1933.