Encounter #9: Mridangam Rhythms with Akshay
This week's Encounter is with 9 to 5'er artist, Akshay Anantapadmanabhan. Akshay is an engineer turned full-time professional mridangam artist. For those of you who aren’t familiar, mridangam is a South Indian hand drum that is the primary rhythmic instrument in Carnatic music. Akshay moved from the United States to Chennai, India to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician and has become an ambassador of mridangam rhythms, performing and sharing his music in concerts around the world. For his Encounter, Akshay has chosen to share a solo piece entitled Mridangam Monologues. If you would like to learn more about Akshay and his fascinating journey as a professional mridangam artist, please check out his bio on The Characters page of this website.
Although I met Akshay in college, I did not truly Encounter his passion for music until after we graduated. Akshay was an electrical engineering student at our university and was a year ahead of me. Due to the difference in majors and class years, I unfortunately never got to the chance to know Akshay beyond an acquaintance but what I did know was that he was kind, smart, an active member of our university’s tennis team, and that he gave impressive performances at our university’s annual culture show with what I would describe as “a cool looking drum”. It was not until after college, this past year in fact, that I Encountered, through social media, the extent of Akshay’s passion and his incredible talent for music.
When I discovered that Akshay was pursuing a career as a professional musician, I admittedly began to Facebook stalk him (sorry Akshay!) because I was fascinated by his story: the engineer who decided to take the leap and completely change his lifestyle to pursue his dreams and passion for music. I think it takes a lot of guts and a strong sense of self to pursue a career in the arts because it is a road less traveled filled with lots of unpredictable twists and turns. People in general tend to fear the unknown but I think that artists actually embrace it, diving in headfirst as they pursue their passion. To me, Akshay is one of those brave people and I admire his belief in his vision and his love for his art that together have driven him and guided him on his journey to become a professional musician.
Mridangam Monologues is a testament to Akshay’s skill and dedication to his craft. The speed at which his hands fly around the drum in this special solo piece is nothing short of supernatural. Akshay immerses himself in the music to the extent that he seems to embody every sound of the mridangam and as a result, he creates a world for his audience rooted in pure rhythm.
I am so happy to have Encountered Akshay’s fascinating story and passion for music and I am excited that he will now share it with the Encounters community - I highly encourage you to check out his bios on The Characters and Engineering pages of this website!
Now, without further ado, I introduce to you our Encounter with the mrigandam artist, Akshay Anantapadmanabhan: