T. S. Nandakumar

T. S. Nandakumar
Background information
Also known as T.S.N
Born (1958-03-17) 17 March 1958
Ambalappuzha, Kerala, India
Genres Carnatic music
Occupation(s) musician, composer, conductor, teacher
Instruments mridangam, konnakol, thavil, ghatam, kanjira, morsing
Labels AVM, Gita, Kosmik
Website mridangam.info

T. S. Nandakumar (born on 17 March 1958) is a well known Indian carnatic music percussionist. He is primarily adept in playing the mridangam.[1]

Personal life

T. Shankaranaryanan Nandakumar (T. S. Nandakumar) was born on 17 March 1958 in Ambalappuzha, Kerala, India. He is the son of Balakrishna Panicker and Shrimati Saraswati. He comes from the family of the well known nadaswaram duo, the Ambalapuzha Brothers. A child prodigy, Nandakumar had only talent with which he conquered the world of music with his beats on the mridangam. He learnt mridangam under the guidance of Kaithavana Madhavdas in the gurukula samprada tradition and acquired proficiency as Laya Vidwan.

Nandakumar developed a strong interest in music when he was four years old. He gained a reputation as an accompanist to some well known names in carnatic music such as Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. D. Ramanathan, S. Ramanathan, R. K. Srikantan, Bhimsen Joshi, M. Balamuralikrishna, T. N. Krishnan, L. Subramaniam, N. Ramani, K. J. Yesudas, N. Rajam, T. K. Govinda Rao, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, T. V. Gopalakrishnan and several others.

Career

Besides being an amiable accompanist Nandakumar has shown a flair for teaching and training students in a number of music institutions and fine arts sabhas in Mumbai. Not content with just training, he has found a medium for the students to hone their skills and play in unison.TSN's percussive Arts Centre which is a composite unit drawn from talented teenagers. He trained his students in instruments like mridangam, konnakol, thavil, ghatam, kanjira, and morsing used in playing for ensemble. Under his tutelage, the ensemble has been performing with excellence. Having performed all over Mumbai and in the south of India,he came out with Jewels Of Rhythm album which was a big success.[2]

Nandakumar has been promoting Indian carnatic music both as a teacher and a performer. He had the privilege of performing for various festivals all over the country, besides giving performances for All India Radio and Doordarshan.

He has conducted several musical concerts, lectures cum demonstration and workshops in India as well as abroad like Lamar University of Houston, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and several others to train students and build their rapport with artists by accompanying them.

Nandakumar has earned several awards. He received the LifeTime Achievement Award from Shanti Foundation, Chennai for his contributions to the field of Indian classical music. He was honored by the Cleveland Tyagaraja group with the 'Best Teacher Award' where M. Balamuralikrishna and Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the United States was the guest of honor, and the Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbulakshmi Best Teacher Award from the Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai.[1] He was also felicitated and honoured by Shri R. K. Laxman the cartoonist.

Pittsburgh University in America conducts special classes in percussive arts for which they have enlisted Nandakumar. He used to conduct classes in the Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh; Academy of Indian Music, New Jersey; Switzerland and several places in other countries.He also conducted 24 hours non stop Akanda Seva Bhajan with his students in mumbai for the tsunami affected victims of india.

Nandakumar performing with K. J. Yesudas in Atlanta, USA

Albums and recordings

Nandakumar composed and released Jewels of Rhythm Vol 1, Jewels of Rhythm Vol 2 and Jewels of Rhythm Vol 3 which were performed by his students at the ages of nine and ten respectively, and Vibrative Rhythms which is a fusion of Carnatic, Hindustani and Western music as a one-man ensemble of mridangam, konnakol, thavil, ghatam, kanjira and the morsing played by himself.

TSN's Percussive Arts Centre

TSN's Percussive Arts Centre was founded in response to demand from students for higher learning in the art of percussion. Since inception,the centre has presented several annual events which included performances by well known artists in carnatic music, amongst others by N. Rajam, N. Ramani, A. Kanyakumari, L.Subramanium and several others at the Shanmukhananda Hall, Chembur Fine Arts Hall and vice versa. Such events organized under the banner of TSN's Percussive Arts Centre serve as inspiration to young students and encourage them to take to the stage. Nandakumar has Indian students as well as non-Indian students all over the globe.He conducted decennary function of the centre with a performance by ninety six students on stage.[1]

Hard work was put in by Nandakumar for rehearsals and special training to students in percussion instruments and in Konnakol 'singing' for their stage performances. His students are also popularizing the same art given to them by teaching other students. His centre is also in Zurich, Switzerland and also runs 'TSN's Percussive Arts Centre, Inc' in New Jersey, United States with the motive of promoting Indian classical music all over the world.

Guru Sishyas Talavadya Kutcheri Concept

He started the Guru Sishyas Talavadya Kutcheri Concept where in it includes the lead mridangam played by himself i.e. the guru and his own trained students i.e. the Sishyas on the instruments like mridangam, konnakol, thavil, ghatam, kanjira, and the morsing.It was conducted in several platforms of mumbai with good responses.He also introduced and conducted 108 students performance on stage on all the instruments including drums in Cleveland Tyagaraja festival which was a very unique concept and a great achievement.Thereafter he conducted the similar performance in New Jersey.

Titles, awards and honours

Nandakumar honored by the Cleveland Tyagaraja group with the 'Best Teacher Award' from Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the United States

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shanmukhananda fine arts sabha (2007-09-16), M S Subbulakshmi Best Teacher Award, retrieved 16 September 2007
  2. ↑ "Jewels of Rhythm Vol. 2". Mumbai, India: Music India on-line. 10 December 2014.

External links

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