SHAURYA SINGH THAPA

The mridangam is an essential instrument in Carnatic music ensembles and a preferred pick of many percussionists in not only classical music but also South Indian films . From the Sangam age to present times , the instrument has been played in some way or the other . Such is its popularity that it even reached countries like Nepal . Here are some amusing facts about the instrument that you would not know .

The word mridangam is a sandhi ( amalgamation ) of the Sanskrit words mrt ( clay ) and angam ( limb / body part ). This is interesting to note as the modern mridangam isn ’ t made out of clay . The name has still stuck on as earlier versions were built of hardened clay . As for the current times , mridangams have core bodies built out of hollowed pieces of jackfruit wood . The two mouths of the drum are then covered with goatskin and tied together with leather straps .

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Fusion of Mridangam and Rap

The mridangam received a larger global audience with Canadian rapper Shan Vincent de Paul and his friend Yanchan as they released a series of ‘ mridangam raps ’. Having Sri Lankan roots , de Paul has been at the forefront to combine hip-hop with Carnatic beats and Tamil lyrics . A usual collaborator of the rapper ’ s , Yanchan Rajmohan is a producer and singer who also happens to play the mridangam . In their video series , Yanchan used to play the drum while de Paul rapped in English . The settings kept on changing from the duo climbing a tree or sitting in a studio , and so on . These videos have amassed millions of views , furthering the rise of the instrument .

The mridangam is not only relevant in South Indian music but even in Indian neighbors like Nepal . For those who are unacquainted with the concept of Newar music , this traditional music was developed in the country by the Newars ( inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley and its neighbouring areas ). In fact , one of the earliest manuscripts from this region include a mridangamspecific treatise called Mridanga anukaranam .

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Other Instruments like Mridangam

Mridangam is an essential part of Carnatic music but up north , the pakhawaj might be a close counterpart in Hindustani music . While the tabla looks vastly different from a mridangam , it is interesting to note a certain myth that connects the two instruments . Legend has it that the tabla was built after a mridangam was split into two . Other myths also include the fact that the tala ( rhythm ) system came out of a mridangam only .

MRIDANGAM

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A Recent Mridangam-centric Film

In 2019 , the instrument saw its resurgence in mainstream popularity in Tamil Nadu . This was largely due to the release of the movie Sarvam Thaala Mayam that revolved around a famous mridangam player and his student . The starcast included GV Prakash Kumar and Nedumudi Venu as the teacher and student respectively . AR Rahman scored the film while Kumar also took mridangam lessons from ‘ mridanga vidwan ’ U Sivaraman to get into his character .

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