Karaikudi Mani, who revolutionised role of ‘Mridangam’, no more

Published: 11th May, 2023

Context

Eminent mridangam artiste Karaikudi Mani, who had dominated Carnatic music, died of age-related issues in Chennai.

About

Born on September 11, 1945, in Karaikudi to T Ramanath Iyer and Pattammal, Mani shifted from vocal training to learning mridangam.
He was considered as one among the all-time greatest mridangam vidwans.
He had played alongside Carnatic giants like M S Subbulakshmi and D K Pattammal.

About Mridangam

Mridangam is a percussion instrument made of leather and jackwood.
A cylindrical body tapered at both the ends.
This traditional instrument is found in various parts of South India.
It is a popular bifacial drum of Carnatic music and is used as an accompaniment in South Indian Classical music.
In modern times, Mridangam is used in Carnatic music performances.
History
- Sangam Period: Mridangam is known as Tannumai in Tamil culture.
  - In ancient Tamil literature, Sangam literature there is the earliest mention of the Mridangam.
  - There is a detailed reference of the instrument in the Natyasastra. It was the most used and primary percussion instrument in the Sangam period.
- Silappatikaram (epic): After the Sangam period, it is mentioned in the epic ‘Silappatikaram’.
- Hindu religious scriptures: It is said that it was one of the favorite instruments of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva’s bahana, Nandi.
Mridangam is very close to another classical percussion instrument Pakhavaj that is mostly used in the Hindustani traditional music in Northern India.
Mridangam schools: The most famous and prominent Mridangam schools then and now are the Thanjavur School and the Puddukottai School.
Most notable Mridangam players: Guruvayur Dorai, Anoor Anantha Krishna Sharma, Karaikudi Mani, Bombay C N Balaji, Kovai Venugopal, Mannargudi Easwaran, Prapancham Ravindran, Srimushnam Raja Rao, N. Lakshmi Ganesh, Rohan Krishnamurthy, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Vasudevan Govindarajan, K. Murthy, Palghat R. Raghu, Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam, and more.

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Karaikudi Mani, who revolutionised role of ‘Mridangam’, no more

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