Adapted from a www.chennaionline.com interview by Salil Jose in Madras, 2001.

(Guruvayur Dorai)

When Guruvayur Dorai performs on the Mridangam, one cannot help being moved by the elegant, absorbing patterns he creates. An exponent of the Pudukottai style of mridangam, Guruvayur Dorai (his real name being Vaidynathan) was born in Guruvayur on July 2nd 1935, to G.S. Krishna Iyer and Meenakshi. His father was a priest and mother, a housewife. He has two brothers and three sisters. His sister Guruvayur Ponnammal was a highly reputed singer at the time. His other sister is a reputed music teacher in Madras, while his brother, G.K.Rajamani is a notable violinist living in Palghat (Kerala).

Young Dorai had a penchant for percussion and was frequently seen drumming on his body with his fingers even while in sleep. Struck by polio at the age of five, his father thought it would be difficult for Dorai to go outside of Guruvayur for higher studies and a job.

There was already a vocalist and a violinist in the family, a mridangist was all that was lacking. So his father decided to sculpt him into one. His father thought Ponnammal, Rajamani and Dorai could give concerts together and that the siblings would take care of Dorai. Moreover, they could make a living out of it.

Dorai began to learn mridangam under the Late Palghat Subba Iyer when he was six. E.P. Narayana Pisharody of Eranallur also taught him at this time. (Pisharody's book 'Mridanga Nada Manjari' -- a practical study of mridangam -- was published by Guruvayur Dorai on September 23, 2001. Copies are commercially available.)

The legendary vocalist Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bhagavathar was teaching Ponnammal at that time. Whenever he came to Guruvayur, Chembai used to stay at their house. He took active interest in Dorai's mridangam practice. Dorai had his debut performance (arangetram) at the age of eight, performing with none other than Chembai himself.

1949 was a watershed in Dorai's carrer, as he came to Chennai for the first time to perform with Chembai in a concert. Meanwhile, Ponnammal got a chance to sing in a Malayalam film. As the oppurtunities were more copious in Chennai, their father decided to settle there. Dorai, Ponnammal, Rajamani and the father stayed in a rented house in the city while the rest of the family remained in Guruvayur. In the same year, he also happended to meet the legendary mridangam artist Pazhani Subramanium Pillai in Thirupoontharai. After Pazhani moved to Madras in 1953, Dorai commenced classes with the maestro. This helped him understand and absorb the complexities of the Pudukottai style of mridangam. Dorai stayed with Pazhani in his residence for nearly nine years in the gurukulavasam fashion.

Dorai performed with nearly all the eminent artists even at a young age, including Musiri Subramania Iyer, M.D.Ramanathan, Semmengudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.S.Subhalakshmi (it was Dorai who performed with her in Carnegie Hall, New York), Radha & Jayalaksmi, G.N.Balasubramanium, Dwaram Venkatswamy Naidu, Veena S. Balachander, Chitti Babu, Flute Mali, Mysore T. Chowdiah, Palghat Ghatam Sundaram, Alangudi Ramachandran, G. Harishankar, etc. Moreover, he is one of the few mridangists who has performed with nagaswaram wizards, namely T.N.Rajarathnam Pillai (in 1956, Rama Seva Mandali, Bangalore. P. Bhuvaneswariah was violin, Bangalore Venkatram -ghatam, and also a khanjira artist), Thiruvengadu Subramanium Pillai in 1951, and Namagiripettai Krishnan (from the 1960's onwards). He has also performed with leading present-day artists including T.V.Sankaranarayanan, T.N.Seshagopalan, Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Chitraveena N. Ravikiran, etc.

(Performing with Kunnakudi Vaidynathan and a khanjira artist.)

Furthermore, he has performed with leading Hindustani artists like Bhimsen Joshi, Bismallah Khan, Ravi Shankar, Allah Rakha, Zakir Hussain, etc.

Dorai has performed in the USA, the UK, Russia, Canada, Malaysia, etc., beginning his trips abroad in 1958. He has served as visiting scholar in prestigous universities like the University of Washington, Seattle (1977-78) and Western Michigan University (2001 and 2002).

He has received a host of awards and titles, amongst them are the "Kalaimamani" title from the Tamilnadu government, "Asthana Vidwan" of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, "Sangeet Natak Academy Award," and "Mridangam Maestro Palghat Mani Iyer Award" from the Percussive Arts Center in Bangalore, India. Most recently, Dorai was awarded the title of "Laya Chakravarthy" in Austin, Texas.

Two distinct features exist in Dorai's playing, one being his masterful and fluent pats on the thoppi, including his exquiste gumkis. Second being his style during lighter pieces, known as thukkadas. Predominantly incorporating the tabla style, he has become a trendsetter in this aspect for all mridangists.

He has produced several well known students in the field of Indian classical percussion, including Manaragudi Easwaran (who went to Dorai for advanced training), Rohan Krishnamurthy, S.V.Ramani (mridangam and ghatam), etc.

One memory Dorai finds most treasurable was when he visited the revered composer/musician Harikeshanellur Muthiah Bhagavathar in the Mysore palace in the early 1960's. Keen on hearing Dorai's playing, the composer requested him to play the mridangam with his sister singing. Muthiah Bhagavathar blessed both of them and said they will have a bright future.

Dorai married Seethalakshmi in 1966. Their daughter is married and is a popular dance teacher in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. Their son, Kannan, who played the mridangam and was doing research in zoology in the USA, died in a tragic road accident in 1993, hours before his marriage.

Nine years after the incident, the intensity of his sorrow does not seem to have diminished and he cried while telling me about the accident. "I cannot get over this horrific incident."

Nothing can replace a lost child. However, an inherent urge to help others has placated Dorai. That is why when I told him I had learned the mridangam and used to go for concerts two years ago, he said "Why not now? Don't waste your talent. Come here, I will help you".

This noble mind's love for art and people has no boundary. Guruvayur Dorai is truly a magnifiscent artist and human being.