‘If you are good, people will automatically contact you,’ says mridangam player TS Nandakumar

For 68-year-old TS Nandakumar, the journey from Mumbai to America has been shaped by music, but also by the people he encountered along the way.

He arrived in Mumbai from Keralam in the late 1970s as a young mridangam player and gradually became part of a remarkable musical ecosystem, accompanying some of the most respected names of the era.

MD Ramanathan, M Balamuralikrishna and Bhimsen Joshi were among the legendary musicians with whom he shared the stage. Mumbai gave him a performing career, students and friendships that remain deeply etched in his memory. That’s why he was given the moniker “Bombay” Nandakumar.

When Nandakumar eventually moved to the US in 2008, it meant leaving behind a musical world in which he had already established himself. The early years were not easy. He spent nine years without his family, travelling long distances to teach and perform. It was music that sustained him through that period, he said.

Today, with students across countries, 50 who have done arangetrams [debut dance performances] and books documenting his knowledge, Nandakumar sees the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Overseas category he received in August as both recognition and responsibility.

Nandakumar received the prize for the year 2025 and is the second recipient after mohiniattam dancer...

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