Nadaswaram Genius - K Arunachalam

Recently I was listening to some of classical instruments, that are used especially for the marriage cermonies in South India. I was fascinated by the sound of the "nadaswaram", one of loudest non-brass acoustic instrument.  Nadaswaram is an integral part of most of ceremonies that are part of traditional Tamil culture.

"nadaswaram" is a double reed wind instrument from South India and goes well with another percussion instrument named "mridangam". They are traditional classical instruments in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Ancient Tamil text refer to the instrument as "vangiyam", it has seven holes, played with seven fingers and need very good respiratory to blow air through to create all the magical sounds similar to a megnamious version of "the indian flute".

K Arunachalam is considered one of the genius pioneers of "nadaswaram", and is credited for making it popular in Carnatic music performances. Arunachalam hails from my native village "Karukurichi", I followed roots to my native village in Tirunveveli district of Tamilnadu. There are lof of stories about Karukurichi Arunachalam and his generosity that made him popular among his co-artists. Music is universal and has no Boundaries and needs a collaborative efforts to create a masterpiece!