Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat (1)

Music
History :The mridangam is an ancient Indian instrument and is likely to be thousands of
years old—since India has one of the oldest and most sophisticated traditions of
rhythm. The exact origin is unknown but the instrument plays a role in many stories of
gods and exists in paintings and sculptures from as early as 200 BCE.
Origin : The origin of mridangam goes back to the Indian mythologies wherein it is stated
that Lord Nandi , who was the escort of Lord Shiva was a master percussionist and used to
play the mridangam during the performance of the " Taandav " dance by Lord Shiva.
Significance :To this day it remains the leading percussion accompaniment for Carnatic
music – vocal and instrumental – as well as for all South Indian classical dance forms.
Artists: 1. Palghat Mani Iyer- He was born in 1912. he died in 1981. He was one of the
leading mridangists in the field of carnatic music.
2. Guruvayur Dorai- He was born in 1935. He started to play mridangam at a very young
age. His gurus were the palghat Scbbha Iyer and Pazhani Subramanya Pillai.
Highlight : As Gurugram is host to many Kathak Shows, it is often also host to
unnumberable Mirdangam Players