 Mridangist Trichy Thayumanavan
 “Nadopasana is the best way of realising God,” declares Trichy Thayumanavan who has surrendered himself to the art. Belonging to a musical family, his father and brothers were vocalist and violinist. Thus, his father initiated him into
laya.
Thayumanavan took to mridangam at a very young age. His first guru is the living legend Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer. Thayumanavan stay with him for two to three years as those days gurukulavasam was in vogue.
After the short stint, he came under the tutelage of the renowned Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Achariyar. Thayumanavan shifted to Trichy with his guru and continued the gurukulavasam. Here he was able to master the intricacies of laya and started accompanying his guru on and off the stage.
Wherever his guru played kanjira, Thayumanavan accompanied him on the mridangam. Dakshinamurthy Achariyar’s devotion towards his guru, Dakshinamurthy Pillai, is amazing. Meanwhile, Thayumanavan's expertise and guru bhakti caught the attention of Dakshinamurthy Achariyar who gave his daughter in marriage to
Thayumanavan.
The young mridangist was involved in exploring the art. Asura sadhakam will perfect one’s technique, quips
Thayumanavan.
He has accompanied the crème-de-la-crème of the music world. Besides the mridangam he can play the kanjira, and konnakol and Thayumanavan are synonymous. Even the uninitiated can comprehend and follow the delivery of konnakol - oral mnemonics.
He was also a staff artist in AIR Trichy. His trip to Singapore and Malaysia made the world take cognisance of his inimitable style. GuruPriya Laya Vidhyalaya, the school that is his brainchild, is involved in celebrating the
guru pooja of Dakshinamurthy Achariyar every year. He has tutored many students who are inheritors of his “bani”. His disciples are scattered throughout the globe.
A septuagenarian he is agile and his frequent visits to various places makes us understand that he is wedded to the art. He regularly gives lec/dem at various sabhas during the December music season.
Thayumanavan has been honoured with several awards, but he feels that recognition from connoisseurs and rasikas of music is the greatest award.
But for the record, he has been awarded the Kalaimamani, Layagnana Siddhar, Konnakol Laya Arasu and Perumbana
Nambi.
He has accompanied Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chittoor Subramania Pillai, Alathur Brothers, M K Tyagaraja Bhagavathar, M M Dandapani Desikar and C S Jayarman. He plays fusion music with Umayalpuram
Sivaram.
He can be contacted at:
Thayumanavan,
Guru Anugraham,
20 Palayam Bazaar,
Uraiyur,
Trichy – 620003.
Phone: 04312760216
Mira
mira60@rediff.com
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