Well-known mridangam artiste Karaikudi R. Mani passed away this May 4 morning. He was 77. He was rated amongst the best of present-day percussionists and was on stage for over 50 years.
He resided in Jeth Nagar, Mandaveli.
In recent years, due to his frail health Mani was rarely seen on stage; one such concert was held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan during the 2022 December season where a few male voices sang alongside a percussion ensemble.
Mani played alongside the greats as well as the current stars of Carnatic music – from M S Subbulakshmi and D. K. Pattammal to Sanjay Subrahmanyam and T. M. Krishna.
And he had in hands in many ventures – fusion music collaborations with Indian and foreign artistes, music concert fests for NRIs during the Season, a fest in memory of his spiritual guru where senior artistes who were off the stage were handsomely awarded.
