Guru Karaikudi Mani

Ahead of the Bengal Classical Music Festival--Bangladesh 2014 set to begin on November 27 -- Star Arts & Entertainment introduces readers to the artistes who will be performing at the biggest Classical Music Festival in the world. In the second installment is a true stalwart of Carnatic percussion music.

In 1993, a Carnatic percussionist attempted a concert in an unprecedented arrangement, alongside Kanjira legend G Harishankar that changed South Indian Classical percussion for good. While Thala Vadya, or percussion ensemble in Carnatic music was not unheard of, the idea of just two percussion instruments performing solos without any other 'sruthi' (or melodic) performers (vocal, violin, mandolin) had never been attempted before. That revolutionary concept, called “Thani Avarthanam” concerts, was the brainchild of Guru Karaikudi Mani, regarded as one of the greatest Mridangam artistes of all time.

Karaikudi Mani was born as Ganapathy Subramanyam on 11 September 1945 in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India, and was drawn to the mridangam from an early age, leaving his vocal training to pursue it. Under the tutelage of Haihara Sharma, he grew mercurially as a percussionist, and received his first National Award at the age of 18. But averse to recognition, he declined scores of prestigious awards that were offered to him in the next four decades, before he accepted the National Award from the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1999.

His performance with G Harishankar in the Thani Avarthanam concert is regarded a landmark moment in the classical percussion field that revolutionised the role of the mridangam and proved that South Indian percussion instruments can be played as solo instruments in their own right.

Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani has performed with many international artistes, and his work has been adapted in the West. The Australian Art Orchestra has adapted his Bahudari and Ranjani compositions into jazz style and released it as “Into the Fire”. The Naada group of Finland has converted the Behag composition into jazz orchestrisation and released it as “Unmatched”.

In 1989, he founded the Sruthi Laya Seva School that now has centres at Chennai, Bangalore, Australia, London, US, and Canada. He has also launched a gurukulam (tutelage-based music school) called 'Seasun Gurukulam' in Chennai.