Mannargudi Easwaran

🪔 About

Mannargudi Easwaran, born on April 1, 1947, in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, India, is a leading contemporary mridangam player and Carnatic musician. He began his musical journey at the tender age of four, learning mridangam under the guidance of Vid. Kuniseri U. Krishnamani Iyer and later, maestro Vid. Guruvayoor Dorai. His formal debut, or arangetram, took place on October 12, 1958, in Chennai. Easwaran served as a staff artiste of All India Radio for 23 years, retiring as a "grade one" instrumentalist and a top-rank artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Throughout his career, spanning over half a century, he has accompanied a wide array of eminent Carnatic musicians, including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. S. Subbulakshmi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, M. Balamuralikrishna, Lalgudi Jayaraman, and contemporary artists like Sanjay Subrahmanyan and T.M. Krishna. Beyond performing, Easwaran has also shared his knowledge, teaching at institutions such as San Francisco State University, Princeton University, and Phillips Academy. In 2018, his sixty years of service to Carnatic music were celebrated with a documentary and felicitation event in Chennai. However, in the same year, he was dropped from the Madras Music Academy's programming due to allegations of sexual harassment. His son, Krishna Prakash, continues his legacy as an upcoming mridangam artist. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2008), Kartik Fine Arts' Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), Kalaimamani (2003), Palghat Mani Iyer Award (2006), Best Senior Mridangist (2000), Best Mridangist Award (1993), Asthana Vidwan, Laya Kaladhara Samrat.