My Compelling Story

TR Dhandapany is an Indian classical percussionist based out of the capital city of India, New Delhi. Initially, he was trained in the art of mridangam from Sikkal Shri AS Natesa Iyer, and later, was trained under the tutelage of Late Shri Harihara Sharma, Principal of Jaya Ganesh Talavadya Vidyalaya of Chennai and Late Shri KM Vaidyanathan. Shri Dhandapany took the initiatives and started full-time Talavadya programmes to bring percussionists to the center stage. Receiving an excellent response, he added music to these programmes and titled it 'Laya Gana Madhura Lahiri' in 1982. Since then, he has given more than 250 of these performances at cultural events organized by many esteemed organizations like Sanskriti, Government of India, Rotary Club of India, ICCR, and Rashtrapati Bhawan. He also participated in the first South Asian Festival held in Dhaka in 1997. He also gave these performances at various places in Nepal in 2006 and featured at the 5th Annual Kathmandu Jazz Festival. In 1999, he went on a Europe tour along with his disciples for Talavadya programmes to be included in the Re-Orient Festival. A new programme 'Laya Gana Nritya Madhura Lahiri' was started in 2001, which included classical dances as part of the performance, with music and percussion instruments and was featured at the Asia Pacific Week, held in Berlin in 2003. His meticulous mathematical calculations in setting the 'sollukatus' 'korvais' etc. earned him commendable respect worldwide. He was invited to give a lecture on the art of 'mridangam playing' at the Musee Guimett de Paris. He has been an honorary member of Elizabeth Theatre, Australia in the seventies.