Abhishek Raghuram (2005)

Primarily a singer who was coached in kanjira by G. Harishankar. Grandson of mridangam master Palghat R. Raghu. Located in Chennai.

Alathur T. Rajaganesh (2005)

A mridangam player who also performs on kanjira. Learned kanjira from B. Harikumar & V. Nagarajan. Located in Trichy.

V. Anirudh Athreya (2005)

Youngest Carnatic performer on kanjira (17 years old). Learned kanjira from his relative V. Nagarajan and now studies with T. K. Murthy. Located in Chennai.

B. S. Purushotham (2005)

One of the busiest Carnatic kanjira players in Tamil Nadu. Learned kanjira from T. K. Murthy. Originally from Bangalore, now located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

B. Shree Sundar Kumar (2005)

The most advanced Carnatic kanjira player in Tamil Nadu. Performs regularly with all of the top Carnatic vocalists and instrumentalists and fusion artists. Top mridangam student (A grade) of Karaikudi R. Mani. Grew up around G. Harishankar and learned his playing style on kanjira by observation. His power, speed, rhythmic complexity, and beauty in phrasing are that of a senior artist despite his age being only 24. Located in Chennai.

N. Amrit (2005)

The most advanced Carnatic kanjira player in Karnataka and most advanced student of G. Harishankar who has mastered many aspects of his playing style in terms of power, speed, rhythmic complexity, and beauty in phrasing. Performs often with all of the top Carnatic vocalists and instrumentalists and fusion artists and plays for marathon bhajan performances (up to 6 hours). Highly experienced teacher. A grade kanjira artist and also a great mridangam player who learned from Sri M. Vasudeava Rao and Sri A. V. Anand. Located in Bangalore. Website.

C. P. Vyasa Vittala (2005)

Former student of G. Harishankar and Sri Mushnam V. Raja Rao. One of the few kanjira players that did not also learn mridangam. Located in Bangalore.

C. S. Venkatramanan (2005)

Son of the late kanjira artist C. K. Shyam Sundar. Learned kanjira and mridangam from his father. Originally from Chittoor, now located in Chennai.

Dakshinamurthy Pillai (1935)

Mridangam and kanjira master in the early 1930s. Responsible for furthering the fingering from Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai by applying more complicated mridangam fingerings to kanjira. His playing is said to have raised the level of kanjira playing. He learned kanjira from Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai in the late 1800s.

Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1938)

At age 5 with kanjira. See his mridangam entry below for bio. Sivaraman on kanjira Google Video 1.

Govinda Harishankar (1979)

The greatest Carnatic kanjira player who ever lived. Still to this day, musicians are in awe of what G. Harishankar was capable of with one hand. His was born on June 10, 1958 and died on February 11, 2002. G. Harishankar started on kanjira at a very young age with his father Govinda Rao, started formal mridangam training with the legend Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer and then later with C. S. Murugaboopathy. He also studied with Ramanathapuram Sri C. S. Sankarasivam. He plays kanjira right handed but mridangam left handed (it is said that he did so to prove that playing mridangam was not as hard as kanjira so he switched to playing mridangam left handed). G. Harishankar is responsible for furthering the complexity of modern kanjira playing in terms of advanced techniques for speed, power, rhythmic complexity and beauty in phrasing (left hand bending of the skin). It is said in India by many of the senior percussionists that performed with him or witnessed him play that he could top any mridangam player he was matched with in a concert during the percussion solos (thani avarthanam). G. Harishankar on several occasions even topped tabla player Zakir Hussain when they shared the stage in Malaysia and Europe. He had only a few students that carried on his secrets and techniques. Some of his best recorded playing was as a member of Sruthi Laya with Karaikudi R. Mani on mridangam, T. V. Vasan on ghatam, and Srirangam S. Kannan on morsing in the 1980s-1990s. To many in India, his death was proof that he was in fact human and not a god. YouTube Video 1. YouTube Video 2. YouTube Video 3.

Guru Raghavendra (2005)

Plays fusion with vina player Rajesh Vaidhya.

 

H. P. Ramachar (2005)

Sadly, Ramachar recently died on June 23, 2006. He was the oldest kanjira player in India at 82 years old. Responsible for introducing a new level of speed in the 1970s. Researched the history, construction of, and tuning of kanjira more than any other musician in India. His first concert on kanjira was in 1931 accompanying with mridangam master Palghat T. A. S. Mani Iyer. He learned mridangam from H. Puttachar and taught himself kanjira.

K. S. Rangachari (2005)

One of the older kanjira players still performing at 71 years old. Father of Mambalam Sisters, who he exclusively accompanies now. Began performing on kanjira in 1950. Learned mridangam and kanjira from T. R. Harihara Sharma (father of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram & T. H. Subash Chandran). Originally from Kanjipuram, now located in Chennai.

 

K. V. Gopalakrishnan (2005)

Son of K. V. R. S. Mani. Learned from his father and T. K. Murthy. Mainly a mridangam player who also performs on kanjira. Located in Chennai.

K. V. R. S. Mani (2005)

Originally from Madurai, now located in Chennai.

Latha Ramachar (2006)

India's only performing female Carnatic kanjira player. She learned kanjira from her father H. P. Ramachar and also U. K. Sivaraman but has also had some training on mridangam. She is a member of the all female ensemble of percussion and saxophone called Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri and has performed all over India, Europe, and the USA with many of India's top artists. Located in Bangalore. YouTube Video 1.

Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri

 

Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (mridangam on left) and Palani Subramania Pillai (left hand kanjira on right, c. 1950s]

Palghat T. A. S. Mani Iyer

Palghat Mani Iyer, one of two of the greatest mridangam players ever, was born in 1912 in Palghat, Kerala and died in 1981. He was named Ramaswamy during Namakaranam (naming ceremony) but when introduced to the music world as a mridangam accompanist at the age of ten, he acquired the name "Mani."

He first studied with Palghat Subba Iyer and Kalpathy Viswanatha Iyer. Later with Thanjavur Vaidanatha Iyer. Mani came into prominence after accompanying Chembai Vaidanatha Bagavathar in a music concert at Madras.

He was unusually talented in rhythm and quickly mastered the technique of the art of playing mridangam from his gurus and
predecessors such as Azhaganambi Pillai, Dakshinamurthy Pillai and even studied
the temple drumming of Kerala (panchavadhyam, chenda, edakka, among others).

Before Mani Iyer’s arrival in the music scene, the two mridangists Alaganambi Pillai and Dakshinamurthy Pillai (also a kanjirist), dominated the art of percussion playing. The innovations of Mani changed the style of mridangam playing as Y. G. Doraisamy points out: "It was Mani Iyer who started the now prevalent trend of the mridangam, not just keeping the time with tekkas and moras, but actively accompanying the musical phrasing, so as to be a rhythmic running commentary, reproducing on the drum all the subtleties and rhythmic complexities of the musical composition."

Palghat Raghu, a disciple of Mani Iyer, describes his guru as a genius in that he
showed music followers the manner of blending with the music of the main artist in handling the kritis of every conceivable mood and tempo. By his consistent excellence he could raise the concert to
thrilling heights. It was Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer who outplayed kanjira player Dakshinamurthy Pillai and reclaimed the front seat on the stage for mridangam players. Mani Iyer also occasionally performed on kanjira.

Palani Subramania Pillai (c. 1940s)

Born in 1908 and died in 1962, never recognized formally with awards for his innovations in the art of mridangam and kanjira (most likely because of prejudice that he was not Brahmin). Palani Subramania Pillai was a contemporary of Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer. Equally skilled at mridangam and kanjira, he was a left handed player.

His technique on mridangam is said to have been the first to introduce the gumki or bending of the bass head by sliding and pressing the hand into the skin. His technique is said to have featured more rhythmic complexity while Mani Iyer featured more beauty in the phrases that he played and how they fit the music he was accompanying. Both players had extremely advanced rhythmic and accompanying skill, and there really is no comparing the two with regards to which was a better performer.

P. Subramania Pillai was a student of his father Pazhani Muthiah Pillai and later Dakshinamurthy Pillai. In concert, Iyer and Palani were each other's favorite to accompany with as Mani played mridangam while Subramania played kanjira. One story goes that during one of their concerts in the percussion solos they traded phrases for an entire hour each not being able to top the other.

 

Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai

Born in 1859 and died in 1922, Manpoondia Pillai is considered to be the father of the Pudukottai school of percussion. He is also said to have invented the kanjira, which is not really true as the instrument and players existed before his time. What he is responsible for is introducing the kanjira to Carantic instrumental and vocal music beyond bhajans. His life story of a lantern bearer at the Pudukottai palace who rose to become a high ranking artist is one of triumph of the human spirit.

In his palace job in the mid-1800s he was exposed to dholak and thavil players and became fascinated with thavil. Having first learned a frame drum local to the area (known then as daff), he soon became a student of thavil (he was left handed) and learned from Tirugokarnam Mariyappan.

Manpoondia (he was also known as Mamundi) displayed an unusual skill in that he could play all of the patterns he was shown that required 2 hands with 1 hand.

He also redesigned the kanjira of his time by reducing the number of jingles from 3 pairs to a single pair and replaced the ghungroo pellet bells that were common as jingles at that time with coins as the pellet bells made too much sound that distracted singers and other musicians. He also may have been the first to use Bengal monitor lizard skin (Varanus bengalensis bengalensis) in place of goat skin on kanjira making the instrument more suitable for Carnatic music.

It was Manpoondia Pillai that introduced a more complex laya into Carnatic music with his kanjira in the form of korvais and morhas. He began accompanying bhajans and gained attention with his skill of being able with 1 hand to repeat anything a mridangam player could do with 2 hands at that time. Manpoondia Pillai is also said to have been influenced after hearing the mridangam playing of Narayanaswami Appa. Supposedly, after hearing Appa's playing, Pillai realized the tonal possibilities of melody oriented intricacies. This may have been how the bending technique on kanjira began to develop.

He began traveling around southern India to music centers introducing the kanjira and his skill at bhajan performances. Upon reaching Madras (now Chennai), Pillai was asked to accompany the singer Tiruvayyaru Subramaniya Iyer (also known as Patnam Subramaniya Iyer). Before the concert, Subramaniya Iyer challenged him and wanted to know what he was prepared to give up if he could not play what was sung at the concert. Pillai said that if he failed to play what was sung he was prepared to throw his kanjira into the sea and give it up completely. Subramaniya Iyer then said that if Pillai did play what was sung he would give up his place in the center of the stage to him and stop singing.

Subramaniya Iyer had prepared an intricate pallavi and sang it at the concert. Manpoondia Pillai heard it and played it back and started elaborating on it using his imagination. Subramaniya Iyer accepted defeat and decided to concede his place to Pillai. Manpoondia Pillai humbly declared that it was not his place, and that it was his desire to continue to accompany Subramaniya Iyer's music wherever he sang. The two went on to give numerous performances all over Madras and other places and this established the kanjira as a prominent instrument suited for accompanying in Carnatic music concerts. This is also how the kanjira player began sitting in front of the mridangam player because his skill level was higher than that of the typical mridangist at that time.

Manpoondia Pillai is also responsible for training the first Carnatic singer in his refined rhythmic concepts (Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer) as well as training percussionists Dakshinamurthy Pillai, Pazhani Muthiah Pillai, and Seithur Zamindar in his rhythmic style on kanjira and mridangam. This brought a much higher level of performance to the stage in such trio concerts with the singer, mridangam player and kanjira player all trained in this more refined rhythmic style.

In his last years, he renounced worldly life, becoming a sanyasi under the name of Murugananda Swamigal.

Mayavaram Somusundaram (2005)

One of the older performers of kanjira still playing at 78 years old. He began performing Carnatic concerts in 1947 and learned mridangam and kanjira from Boobadhiveli. Originally from Mayavaram, located now in Chennai.

 

N. Ganeshkumar (2005)

Born in 1964, Ganesh is a kanjira player specializing in fusion and has released the first instructional DVD for kanjira in the USA. He learned from T. H. Subash Chandran. Located in Chennai. Website.

Nerkunam S. Sankar (2005)

Former student of G. Harishankar. One of the few kanjira players that has learned only kanjira and has never studied mridangam. Originally from Nerkunam, now located in Chennai.

Neyveli B. Venkatesh (2005)

One of the few mridangam players that still performs on kanjira. Neyveli travels most of the year for performances in Europe with top artists from India. He is a highly experienced teacher of both mridangam and kanjira and has trained students all over Europe. He learned mridangam from A. S. Balaraman and kanjira from M. N. Kandaswami Pillai. Originally from Neyveli, now located in Chennai. Website. YouTube Video 1.

Karthik Venkataraman (2007)

Kanjira player who studies with Raja Rao, located in Toronto.

Guruvayur Dorai (2005)

Located in Chennai. Mainly a mridangam artist but occassionally performs on kanjira. Born on July 2, 1935, Dorai started to play the mridangam at a very early age. His gurus were Sri Palghat Subba Iyer and Sri Palani Subramania Pillai. Guruvayur Dorai has played in almost all the prestigious music meetings in India and has traveled extensively all over the world. Carnatic music lovers in the US are familiar with his style since his first tour in 1974. Dorai is the recipient of numerous awards including the Kalaimamani - a title conferred in 1990 by the Tamil Nadu government, Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1991, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1997.

Papanasam S. Sethuraman (2005)

Learned kanjira with Kalaimamani and Mayavaram Somusundaram and is self taught on mridangam. Performs regularly in Carnatic music and fusion, especially with Ghatam S. Karthick's Heart Beat. Originally from Thirunellveli, now located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

T. Vinayakram Selvaganesh (2005)

Born in 1972, Selvaganesh (also known as Chella S. Ganesh) is primarily a kanjira player specializing in fusion and perhaps is the best known kanjira artist outside of India having worked with Remember Shakti, Jonas Hellborg, Zakir Hussain, Free ~ Winds, Andrew Lum, and Rikhy Ray. He is also the first kanjira artist to have a CD released under his own name. In India, he works mainly in fusion and session work for film soundtracks and composes his own music via computer. His playing technique is unusual in that his touch is light and he often plays the open tone (dum) with an upstroke with his three fingers as opposed to the traditional classical technique that all other kanjira artists learned, which is to play the open tone with a down stroke of the index finger. Learned kanjira, ghatam, mridangam, and konnakol with his father T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram but primarily with T. H. Subash Chandran. Located in Chennai. Website. Alternate e-mail. YouTube Video 1.

 

Thanjavur Srinivas (2004)

 

Ghatam Brother R. N. Prakash (2004)

Originally from Bangalore but now located in London, the Ghatam Brothers are R. N. Prakash (pictured above) and R. N. Prathap. They learned from Bangalore Vidwan K. N. Krishna Murthy. Both of the Ghatam Brothers are equally skilled on kanjira, mridangam, ghatam, and konnakol. Located in London, England, UK.

 

C. K. Shyam Sundar

Senior kanjira and mridangam vidwan and former lecturer in the Tamil Nadu Music College, died on January 3, 2005 (born in 1938) in Chennai after a brief illness. He was 66. A recipient of the Kalaimamani award in 1986, Shyam Sundar received the Guruvayur Dorai Trust award in December 2004. He learned mridangam and kanjira from Ramadas Rao and kanjira with Pudukottai Swaminatha Pillai. He performed with all of the senior artists of his time. Originally from Chittoor, relocated to Chennai during his career.

Delhi Raman Srinivasan

Mridangam player who also plays kanjira. One of the only Tamil kanjira players located in New Delhi in North India (where he was born). He learned mridangam and kanjira from V. Chandrasekaran, U. K. Sivaraman & Guruvayur Dorai.

Thenkasi H. Paramasivam (2005)

Learned mridangam from Thenkasi K. Hariharan, kanjira from Pudukottai Paranbariyam, and mridangam, kanjira, and konnakol from Trichy R. Tayumaravai. Located in Trichy.

Thirukadaiyur T. K. Dakshinamoorthy (2005)

Kanjira player mainly for violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. Born in 1926, he is one of the older players still performing today at 80 years of age, and he sits in front of the mridangam player. His guru was Kuthaalam Siva Vadivel Pillai. Originally from Thirukadaiyur, now located in Chennai.

Thiruvayur Saikrishnan (2005)

Learned kanjira and mridangam from Kumbakonam Rajapa Iyer. Originally from Thiruvarur, now located in Chennai.

Thrikakkara Y. N. Shantharam (2005)

One of the few kanjira players from Kerala. Shantharaman learned mridangam from Serpala Gopalakrishnan and kanjira from Parashala Ravi. Located in Kerala.

Tirupur G. Sridhar Kumar (2002)

A mridangam player who also performs on kanjira, often with Smt. Nithyasree Mahadevan. Located in Chennai.

Trichy V. V. S. Manian (2005)

One of the few performers that accompanies on kanjira and konnakol. Learned mridangam, kanjira, and konnakol from Trichy Thayumnavar. Originally from Trichy, now located in Chennai.

Trivandrum D. Rajagopal (2005)

Mainly a mridangam player who also performs on kanjira. Learned mridangam from B. Dorai Swami and mridangam and kanjira with Sri R. Vaidyanathan. Originally from Trivandrum in Kerala, now located in Chennai.

Trichy Sankaran (2001)

Primarily a mridangam player of the highest caliber, Trichy also performs on kanjira in Canada and the USA. Learned from Palani Subramania Pillai. Originally from Trichy, now located in Toronto, Canada. Website.

 

V. Nagarajan (c. 1980)

Born on the July 30, 1930 and died in February 4, 2002. Son of violin player Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri. Papa K. S. Venkatramiah. Nagarajan was a mridangam player that developed a nerve problem in his right hand so he switched to playing kanjira left handed. He learned mridangam from Tanjore Sri Vaidyanatha Iyer for a few years and then with Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer for several years for both mridangam and kanjira. Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer taught him the traditional methods and techniques of kanjira. His first concert was at Trichy with the Alathoor Brothers in 1950. He taught kanjira at Wesleyan University in Connecticut as a Visiting Professor in 1967 and in 1974 he taught at the University of Berkeley-California.

JALATHARANGAM

Anayampatti S. Ganesan (2005)

Ganesan is 1 of just 3 jalatharangam players left still performing in southern India. He plays a set of 19 antique porcelain bowls from China that are 100 years old. He is also a singer and violinist. His was the only jalatharangam performance for the 2005-2006 concert season in Madras from Nov. - Jan. some 3000 concerts at 75 locations (and only because of a cancellation, he was arranged to play to fill in!). Located in Chennai.

 

Nemani Somayajulu (2004)

Nemani Somayajulu comes from a musical family and learned jalatharangam from Anayampatti Dhandapani. Jalatharangam consists of several porcelain bowels of different sizes, arranged in a semicircle before the performer. They are filled with different amounts of water in order to tune each bowel to a specific pitch and each is struck with a pair of wooden sticks. He also plays mridangam and ghatam. He is based in North India in the city of Hyderabad in the state of Andhra Pradesh and works for All India Radio. Google Video 1.

T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram (2001)

Born in 1932, Vinayakram is the most recorded ghatam player in India and the most well known ghatam player outside of India. Between the late 1950s and the 1990s, Vinayakram has performed and recorded with all of the important male and female vocalists and instrumentalists in South India. Since the early 1970s, he has recorded and performed with many jazz and pop musicians in the West, such as Shakti, Remember Shakti, Mickey Hart, and Airto Moreira, among others. He was part of the first performance of South Indian music at the United Nations in New York with M. S. Subbulakshmi in 1966 and he was the first South Indian musician to win a Grammy Award for recording with pop musician Mickey Hart in 1991. He has a school in the Triplicane area of Chennai in South India called Sri Jaya Ganesha Thala Vadya Vidyalaya Percussion School. He learned ghatam, morsing, kanjira, and konnakol from his father T. R. Harihara Sharma. Vikku prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. Shakti YouTube Video 1.

T. H. Subash Chandran (2005)

Younger brother of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, Subash is a highly experienced teacher in the West and in India. He has trained many Western percusisonists in ghatam, kanjira, konnakol, and other percussion instruments. He learned from his father T. R. Harihara Sharma. Subash is not only a respected ghatam player in India but one of the few remaining high level artists for konnakol (solkattu performance). He has a school at the Sankara Apartments in the West Mambalam area of Chennai. He released the first instructional DVD for ghatam and konnakol in 2007. Subash prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. Website. YouTube Video 1.

V. Umashankar (2000)

Son of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram and a specialist in fusion music. He recorded with his brothers V. Selvaganesh and V. Mahesh with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane. Learned from his father and T. H. Subash Chandran. Umashankar prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

T. V. Vasan (2005)

Younger brother of singer and mridangam master T. V. Gopalakrishnan. T. V. Vasan was trained in mridangam, pakhawaj, maddalam, thavil, kanjira, and ghatam and also teaches vocalists. He learned from his brother and has been an All India Radio A grade artist for 28 years. As a ghatam artist he was part of the legendary group Sruthi Laya with Karaikudi R. Mani on mridangam, G. Harishankar on kanjira, T. V. Vasan on ghatam, and Srirangam S. Kannan on morsing. Equally skilled on mridangam, he was constantly performing several concerts a day in the 2005-2006 season. Vasan prefers the Madras ghatam. Originally from Kerala, now located in Chennai.

E. M. Subramaniam (2004)

E. M. Subramaniam learned ghatam from his father and started playing at the age of 8. He has accompanied almost all of the senior musicians of South India including top mridangam players such as Palghat T. A. S. Mani Iyer, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, and T. K. Murthy, among others, and top tabla artists of North India such as Allarakha Khan, Kishen Maharaj, and Zakir Hussain, among others. He has traveled to many countries including the USA, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, among others. He has been a grade A ghatam artist of All India Radio for the past 39 years. He was awarded the title of "Kalaimamani" by the government of Tamil Nadu in South India in 2000. Subramaniam prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

S. V. Ramani (2005)

S. V. Ramani plays a Madras ghatam and is located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

Ganesh Anandan (1990)

Ganesh Anandan is a very creative musician that plays unique music on a variety of Indian and non-Indian percussion instruments including ghatam, kanjira, thavil, mridangam, and frame drums. He is also a gifted composer and instrument designer. He was born and raised in Bangalore, south India, where he studied Carnatic music for several years namely the venu with G. Venugopal and the mridangam with K. K. Parthasarthy. In 1976, he moved to Canada where he studied music theory and piano privately. He took part in a variety of workshops including Cuban bata rhythms, Brazilian samba, and was a member of the University of Montreal's Indonesian gamelan ensemble for a year. Since then, Ganesh has returned to India on several occasions to continue Carnatic percussion studies with T. N. Shashikumar at the renowned Karnataka College of Percussion in Bangalore studying the thavil and kanjira. In Canada and the USA, he had workshops on the bodhran and tar with Glen Velez (USA) and tammorra and tamburello with Alessandra Belloni (USA) and Carlo Rizzo (Italy). Since 1994, Ganesh has been transposing south Indian rhythmic concepts and drumming techniques onto tambourines, frame drums, and alternative surfaces. He has developed a dynamic personal playing style that combines the Carnatic method with a variety of personal finger drumming innovations. Ganesh prefers the Bangalore ghatam. Originally from Bangalore, now located in Montreal, Canada.

Ghatam S. Karthick (2006)

Part of the younger generation of new and highly skilled players, Ghatam S. Karthick holds several music degrees and performs with many of the leading Carnatic artists as well as having his own fusion group Heartbeat. He learned from T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram and T. H. Subash Chandran. He is an A grade ghatam artist by All India Radio (AIR) and also sings. Karthick prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. Website. YouTube Video 1. YouTube Video 2.

 

Ghatam Vaidyanathan Suresh (2006)

Part of the younger generation of new and highly skilled players, Ghatam V. Suresh learned from T. V. Gopalakrishnan and works with the leading Carnatic and fusion artists as well as some Hindustani and jugal bandi artists. He is skilled on mridangam, kanjira, thavil, konnakkol, dholak, ghatam, and is a vocalist. He is known for a special technique called double gamaka where he can produce the bass notes with equal ease with both the right and left wrists. Suresh prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. He occasionally performs on the ghatam tharangam (a set of tuned ghatam). Located in Chennai. Website.

Sukanya Ramgopal (2005)

One of India's few performing Carnatic female ghatam artists. Sukanya stared as a violinist with T. H. Gurumurthy (brother of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram) before switching to mridangam and ghatam with T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram for 20 years. In 1992, she was the first to perform on the ghatam tharangam (a set of tuned ghatam). She has performed with the all-female instrumental ensembles in India called Sri Taal Tarang and Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri. Sukanya prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Bangalore.

Kottayam Unnikrishnan (2005)

K. Unnikrishnan is a mridangam player who also performs on ghatam. He learned from T. V. Vasan. Unnikrishnan prefers the Madras ghatam. Located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

 

Adichanalloor M. Anil Kumar (2006)

Anil Kumar is equally a vocalist and ghatam player. His technique on ghatam is amazing in that he has complete control over the intonation of his instrument and can produce all of the notes of a given ragam being performed on the stage on his ghatam perfectly in tune. Anil prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Kerala.

M. R. Manjanatha (2005)

Manjanatha is a ghatam player who also plays tabla, mridangam, kanjira, and dholak. He prefers the Mysore ghatam. Located in Mysore.

N. Najaram (2006)

Ghatam artist who plays the Maana Madurai ghatam.

Udupi Balakrishnan (2006)

Mridangam player who also plays Maana Madurai ghatam.

 

Tripunithura N. Radhakrishnan (2003)

Tripunithura N. Radhakrishnan was the disciple of the late Shri G. Narayanaswamy (his father), Shri T. V. Gopalakrishnan (his cousin), and Shri Parassala Ravi. He started accompanying artists on the ghatam at the age of eleven. YouTube Video 1.

Ghatam Brother R. N. Prathap (2004)

Originally from Bangalore but now located in London, the Ghatam Brothers are R. N. Prathap (pictured above) and R. N. Prakash. They learned from Bangalore Vidwan K. N. Krishna Murthy. Both of the Ghatam Brothers are equally skilled on kanjira, mridangam, ghatam, and konnakol. The Ghatam Brothers prefer the Madras ghatam. Located in London, England, UK.

Ghatam Giridhar Udupa (2004)

Ghatam Giridhar Udupa is one of the younger generation of new and amazing percussion artists in Bangalore. He began learning at age 4 from his father the mridangist Vidwan Ullur Nagendra Udupa. He is currently a disciple of Vidushi Ghatam Sukanya Ramgopal and Vidwan Ghatam V. Suresh. Udupa performs on the Maana Madurai ghatam and also performs on mridangam, kanjira, morsing, and konnakol. Apart from playing Carnatic music, he has performed in many fusion, jazz, blues, flamenco, symphonic, Celtic, world music, and jugal bandi concerts and has been part of numerous international music festivals with renowned Indian musicians like Dr. L. Subramaniam, Pandit Jasraj, and Ganesh & Kumaresh, among others. Located in Bangalore. Website. YouTube Video 1.

Trichy K. Murali (2004)

K. Murali first studied mridangam with his mother. Then he learned from Trichy Thayumanavan who told him to switch to ghatam. He is an A grade ghatam artist with All India Radio. Originally from Trichy, now located in Chennai.

A. S. Murali (2007)

A. S. Murali plays a Madras ghatam.

 

Glenn "Rusty" Gillette (2000)

One of the few American ghatam players (another being John Bergamo), "Rusty" plays a Maana Madurai ghatam and is also a jazz pianist. He was the instructor of traditional South Indian music at San Diego State University in California, USA until 2005. He began his study of South Indian percussion with T. Ranganathan at the California Institute of the Arts in 1970 and then studied ghatam in India with T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram. He has performed with noted musicians including T. Viswanathan, T. Ranganathan, Jon Higgins, L. Subramaniam, and Trichy Sankaran and also specializes in mridangam accompaniment for Bharatha Natyam, a unique form of classical South Indian dance. A talented teacher & lecturer, "Rusty" has taught South Indian rhythmic skills and music for The Center for World Music, The Balasarasvati School of Music and Dance, The American Society for Eastern Arts, The College Music Society, and University of California, San Diego. Located in San Diego, California, USA. Website. YouTube Video 1.

Srirangam S. Kannan (2005)

Kannan started music at the age of 33. He became interested in morsing (started being used in Carnatic music since 1930s-1940s), quit his bank job, and began studying with a local mridangam player how to play laya (rhythm). he learned from Pudukottai Mahadevan and later Karaikudi R. Mani. Within 6 months he was accompanying concerts on morsing and has been doing so ever since. He came to prominence as a member of the legendary group Sruthi Laya which include Karaikudi R. Mani on mridangam, G. Harishankar on kanjira, T. V. Vasan on ghatam, and Srirangam S. Kannan on morsing. Located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

Bangalore B. Rajasekar (2006)

Rajasekar is one of the prominent and skilled morsing artists from Bangalore. He regularly tours outside of India. Located in Bangalore.

Kottayam S. Muralidharan (2006)

Muralidharan is one of the most sought after morsing artists in Kerala. He is uniquely skilled in that he has the ability to play morsing and recite konnakol simultaneously during his solos. Amazing player. Located in Kerala.

N. Sundar (2005)

Sundar is equally skilled as a morsing artist and tabla player specializing in Carnatic music and fusion. He is a member of Ghatam S. Karthick's fusion ensemble known as Heart Beat. Located in Chennai. YouTube Video 1.

M. Raja Raman (2006)

Raja Raman is one of the older morsing players still performing. He has performed and recorded almost exclusively with violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan since the 1970s. Located in Chennai.

M. Gururaj (2003)

M. Gururaj learned mridangam and morsing from T. A. S. Mani of Bangalore. He has been a member of the Drums of India ensemble of T. A. S. Mani and has traveled widely abroad in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Scotland, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Germany. Gururaj has provided accompaniment to many stalwarts from South India and has been a prime morsing accompanist in the concerts of Flute S. Shashank. He is currently on the staff of All India Radio, and is located in Mangalore.

 

 

Malaikottai R. M. Deenadayalu

Malaikottai R. M. Deenadayalu is a respected morsing artist from Trichy, Tamil Nadu. He is a disciple of Trichy R. Thayumanavan and now studies under Sri. B. Harikumar. He has accompanied many of the leading Carnatic artists and musicians in India and abroad. He is an A grade artist of All India Radio, Trichy and has received many awards and honorific titles such as Sangunatha Chakravarthy, Morsing Laya Boopathy, and Asthana vidwan of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

Pramath Kiran (2007)

Pramath Kiran hails from a musically inclined family. His father is a prolific composer and his mother a great music enthusiast. Being brought up in an atmosphere of art and culture, Pramath took to Music early in life. He started with learning Vocal under Smt.Vijayalakshmi of Bangalore. Discovering his inherent talent for Rhythm, Pramath was put under the tutelage of Vidwan Anoor Anathakrishna Sharma who guided him on the nuances of Laya and morsing and Shri Uday Raj Karpur for tabla. Pramath is also a multi-percussionist and plays a variety of Indian and western percussion instruments. Located in Bangalore. Website.

Tiruchi Tayumanovar (2005)

Tiruchi Tayumanovar is the oldest living konnakol artist in India. Located in Trichy.

T. H. Subash Chandran (2005)

Younger brother of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, Subash is a highly experienced teacher in the West and in India. He has trained many Western percussionists in ghatam, kanjira, konnakol, and other percussion instruments. He learned from his father T. R. Harihara Sharma. Subash is not only a respected ghatam player in India but one of the few remaining high level artists for konnakol (solkattu performance). He has a school at the Sankara Apartments in the West Mambalam area of Chennai. He released the first instructional DVD for ghatam and konnakol in 2007. Subash prefers the Maana Madurai ghatam. Located in Chennai. Website. YouTube Video 2.

Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam (2005)

Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam, born 1940, is the senior most top thavil artist in India since the 1960s. He has performed and recorded for many years with violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and is a master of all the advanced thavil techniques. He learned from Mannargudi M. N. Rajagopal Pillai. Located in Madurai.

Haridwaramangalam Sri A. K. Palanivel (2000)

Born in 1948 in Haridwaramangalam in Thanjavur, A. K. Palanivel received his training in thavil under his father S. Kumaravel Pillai and T. G. Muthukumaa Swamy Pillai. He has performed widely in India and abroad accompanying senior artists and participating in innovative ensembles of instrumental music and also dance. For his outstanding contribution, he has been variously honoured by Sabhas and institutions, which include the Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu. He was the first thavil artist to receive the pretigious Padma Shri award in 2004. Website. YouTube Video 1.

K. Sekar (2005)

K. Sekar is a thavil artist who not only plays for nagaswaram wedding concerts but also accompanies Carnatic instrumental concerts and performs in fusion. Great player. Located in Triplicane area of Chennai.

Ramesh Shotham (1990)

Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. He began his musical career as a self-taught rock drummer with Human Bondage in 1970. In the mid-1970s, he learned pakhawaj from Arjun Shejwal in Mumbai and then returned to Madras (Chennai), to study thavil with K. P. Ramu. He studied other South Indian classical percussion instruments such as ghatam, mridangam, kanjira, and morsing at the Karnataka College of Percussion with Professor T. A. S. Mani. In 1980, Ramesh went to Europe with the Indo-jazz-fusion group known as Jazz Yatra Septet to perform at various festivals. The group made a recording titled Sangam in 1981. Since 1981, Ramesh Shotham has lived and worked in Europe. During the last 20 years, he has performed on over 120 recordings and has worked for almost all the leading TV and radio stations in Germany and Europe. Originally from Chennai, now located in Germany. Website. YouTube Video 1.

Guru Krupa Kalakendram - Chenda Melam Ensemble (2007)

Guru Krupa Kalakendram is 12 piece all-female chenda melam ensemble from Nedumangadu in Kerala. They have performed all over India including Chennai, Mumbai, Calcutta, and Kerala. They are the disciples of Bhanu Asan.

Chenda Melam Ensemble (2005)

This group played chenda melam music with such instruments as chenda (stick beaten rope tensioned drums, usually 2 types of tuning low and high) 3 kombu (brass horns tuned in unison & playing in thirds), and a line of ilathalam (thick small cymbals) players. Chenda melam is featured at temple festivals in Kerala. The second row of chenda are tuned low and play rhythmic pulsations outlining the talam while the cymbals in the back row also play subdivisions outlining the talam, which shifts from 4 to 6 to 7 beats before repeating in a cycle. The front line of Chenda are tuned higher and are played with a pair of curved sticks in a typically fast Indian manner. Almost rudimental by Western standards. The kombu (horns) interject blasts of sound at certain intervals as a cycle is climaxing and beginning to repeat. Native to Kerala, located in Kerala. Contact info:

Mr. Vatta Kadruravi (“Ravi”)
Phone: (001-91) 04923-266583
Cell: (001-91) 9447-675009

YouTube Video of Other Chenda Melam Event.

Kshetrakala - Panchavadyam Ensemble (2005)

This group played panchavadyam music, which is another type of temple ensemble from Kerala that uses five musical instruments being the maddalam (hour glass shaped drum played with hands on both sides pictured above), idakka (hour glass shaped drum played with a stick), thimila (long cone shaped drums tuned very high and played with the hands pictured at top), kombu (brass horns), and ilathalam (thick small cymbals). High degree of interlocking between the various drums and shifting of meters is common. Native to Kerala, located in Chennai. Contact info:

Kshetrakala – Kerala Temple Programs
No. 2 Bajanai Kovil 3rd Street
Choolaimedu, Chennai 600 094
Tamil Nadu, India

Phone: (011-91) 98414-21124

YouTube Video of Other Panchavadyam Event.

Mattanur Sankaran Kutty on Chenda (2004)

Mattanur Sankaran Kutty on chenda, a top percussionist from the state of Kerala in South India and has traveled to several countries of the world in traditional Kerala percussion ensembles and in a special jugal bandi percussion group with Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman. Located in Kerala.

The chenda is a hollow cylindrical drum made of softwood with both ends covered with cowhide. The tuning of the instrument is adjusted by moving small bamboo rings to tension the rope on the shell. The chenda is played by beating the upper skin with two slightly curved sticks. This instrument is traditionally a part of the chenda melam percussion orchestra of Kerala, which accompanies some of the temple festivals there.

Porur Unnikrishnan on Thimila (2004)

Porur Unnikrishnan on Idakka (2004)

Porur Unnikrishnan on thimila (top photo) and edakka (bottom photo), a top multipercussionist from the state of Kerala in South India and has traveled to several countries of the world in traditional Kerala percussion ensembles and in a special jugal bandi percussion group with Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman. Located in Kerala.

The thimila is a cone shaped drum made from polished jackwood. Leather braces hold the drumheads made of calf hide. The leather braces are also twined round the waist of the drum. This arrangement helps to adjust the tuning, which is very high.

The idakka is an hourglass shaped drum made of wood. The drumheads are held in position by interlacing rope. The playing technique involves simultaneously beating the drum with one hand with a stick while manipulating the strings with the other hand to create pitch changes. These 2 instruments are traditionally part of the panchavadyam percussion orchestra of Kerala, which accompanies some of the temple festivals there.

A. V. Anand (2006)

Left handed mridangam player, the absolute top in rhythmic complexity on the instrument in the state of Karnataka. His calculations are extremely refined. Located in Bangalore.

 

B. Sivaraman (2006)

Born on June 6, 1972, B.