Mridangam or maddalam is a classical drum belonging to the percussion family. It is an indispensable accompaniment in the concerts of both the vocal and instrumental carnatic classical music in south India. In the Hindu mythology, it is mentioned that Lord Nandi, who is the escort of Lord Shiva used to play the mridangam while Lord Shiva performed “Taandav “ dance. It is also said in the mythology that mridangam was created to recreate the sound of Lord Indra as he moved through the heavens on his white elephant “Airavata”. Mridangam is also called as “Deva Vaadyam” or the instrument of Lords. The mridangam is being played by Indian musicians for more than 2000 years. Mridangam consists of a wooden shell approximately 27 inches long. The resonating chamber of the mridangam is usually made from the wood of jackfruit trees. It is covered with stretched parchment skins on both the hollow head sides. The right head diameter varies from six-and-a-half inches to seven inches and the left head diameter from six-and-a-half inches to seven-and-a-half inches. The making of the parchment is a highly developed skill. The right head of the drum consists of three concentric layers of parchment. The innermost layer which is not visible from outside is concealed with cow-hide. The second layer and outer layer are made with sheep skin and calf skin respectively. The left head consists of only two rings. The outer one is made of buffalo skin and the inner one is of sheep or goat skin. Both the parchments are stretched and kept intact by means of a plait. These two plaits are connected with the leather braces of buffalo or cow skin. These plaits can be tightened or loosened to keep the instrument in tune. The right head of the drum is loaded with a permanent fixture of black paste which is composition of manganese dust, boiled rice, and tamarind juice or a composition of fine iron fillings and boiled rice.
Mridangam is characterised by a rich and varied tone. Some strokes evoke clear pitched sounds while others evoke unpitched sounds. The combination of two inhomogeneous circular membranes allows for the production of unique and distinct harmonics. Pioneering work on the mathematics of these harmonics of modern days was also done by Nobel Prize-winning physicist C V Raman.
An expert mridangam player displays his powers of creative skill in the sphere of tala (a traditional rhythmic pattern in classical Indian music) by playing new permutations and combinations of jatis (number of notes in the rag).
TM Krishna who is a well-known carnatic vocal singer feels that despite the nuances involved in making a mridangam, it is dismissed as labour, instead of a creative art. In his book “Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers”, TM Krishna investigates the history of the mridangam and meets the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mridangam makers. In the books, he talks about these unsung heroes who have, for generations, handcrafted the beautiful percussion instrument, mridangam. He feels that, while several artists have been credited with the evolution of the instrument, including the stalwart Palghat Mani Iyer, none of them had any knowledge of a fundamental aspect of the making of it.