Going by the literal meaning, mridangam is a music instrument played softly. However, performers of this quintessential south Indian percussion instrument that accompanies Carnatic music and various dance forms feel the softness excludes the huge weight of the instrument. There are occasions when the performer has to carry it on his shoulders. Transportation is also a matter of concern.
It was in this context, mridangam maestro Kuzhalmannam Ramakrishnan thought of developing sad mridangam, which weighs lesser than the traditional wooden mridangam. Developed with the help of a team of experts including Ratheesh Anikkode and P. Krishnadasan, the new instrument with all the features of mridangam ensures more mobility for artistes.
It was on the Independence Day, Ramakrishnan conducted a public performance at his native Kuzhalmannam with the newly developed instrument. The music lovers were impressed by the clarity and finesses of the new device made using wood, fibre, steel and leather. “Traditional mridangam is made out of the wood of jackfruit tree and the weight varies between 15 kg to 30 kg. But sad mridangam hardly weighs 5kg,” said Ramakrishnan. It can be dismantled into three parts.
In the field of percussion for over 36 years, Ramakrishnan recently brought out a book in English titled Mrhythm that offers a method to study this classical instrument on your own. “The book was an attempt to simplify the toughest lessons on the mridangam for the ordinary man. Now this instrument also aims at bringing Carnatic music tradition closer to the general public,” he said.
The winner of Layaratna title, Ramakrishnan holds the world record for the longest performance on a hand drum for his 301-hour non-stop mridangam playing.
