Mavelikara S. R. Raju is an acclaimed Carnatic music percussionist. He is adept in playing the ''

mridangam The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...

''. He is the '' sishya'' (disciple) of the celebrated Mridangam maestro

Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair Mavelikkara Krishnankutty Nair (11 October 1920 – 13 January 1988) was a Carnatic Mridangam player. He received his training from Alleppey Venkappan Pillai and Veechur Krishna Iyer. He considered Palani Subramaniam Pillai as his 'Manasa ...

. His father M.N. Raghavan Pillai, was a mridangam player who played for harikathas and dramas. So right from childhood, he has had a fascination for the mridangam. In 1958 he joined All India radio as a mridangam artiste. In 1999 Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy granted its fellowship to him. He has accompanied all most all the maestros of last 50– 60 years. He has visited and played in several concerts in Pittisburg, USA and was Asthanvidwan of the Sree Venkateswara Temple Pittsburg. He was blessed with a peculiar playing style with beautiful "sarwalaghus" and heavy "koruvais", thus covering the entire length, breadth and depth of a "laya vadyam" performance. He received the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultur ...

in 1985 and the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depa ...

in 1999.

References

External links

The HinduThe New Indian Express www.keralasangeethanatakaakademi.com
Mridangam players Musicians from Alappuzha Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award {{India-musician-stub