Born into a family of Keertanakaras, Shri Dattatreya Velankar has inherited a unique lineage from his parents, Shri Lakshmandas Velankar and Smt. Meera Lakshmandas. Inspired by his parents, Dattatreya took up Harikatha at a tender age and made his mark as a child prodigy. During his early schooling at the Ramakrishna Balakashrama in Mangalore, Swami Jitakamanandaji and Shri Achyutadas Ji encouraged Dattatreya to seek guidance in Hindustani classical music under the renowned maestro Pt. Vinayak Torvi. For the last 20 years, Dattatreya has pursued rigorous training under Pt. Vinayak Torvi, who has blessed Dattatreya with Ganda-Bandan Deeksha.
Dattatreya has authored a book titled ‘Sangeet Mala’ outlining the basics of Hindustani classical music. He has recently started "Shadja Kala Kendra", a Hindustani classical vocal school in Bangalore, where he teaches classical vocal in traditional Guru–Shishya style.