Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Mridangam Maestro TS Nandakumar Honoured With Overseas Akademi Award
TS Nandakumar is a musician who plays the mridangam, a drum used in Indian classical music.
He began learning when he was four years old.
As a young musician, he moved from Kerala to Mumbai and played with famous performers.
In 2008, he moved to the United States to teach music.
He has trained students and helped them perform alongside experienced musicians.
He says good musicians need to practise and listen carefully to the artists they accompany.
In August, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Overseas category for 2025.
He says the award makes him happy and encourages him to train more musicians.
TS Nandakumar began learning mridangam at age four under his only guru, Kaithavana Madhavdas.
After moving from Kerala to Mumbai in the late 1970s, he performed with prominent musicians including M. D. Ramanathan, M. Balamuralikrishna and Bhimsen Joshi.
He moved to the United States in 2008 to teach, later establishing the TS N Percussive Arts Center.
Nandakumar says he has completed 50 student arangetrams and has students performing internationally; more than 30 are All India Radio-graded artists.
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Overseas category for 2025, which he described as both an honour and a responsibility.
- Who
- Mridangam player and teacher TS Nandakumar.
- What
- He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Overseas category for 2025.
- When
- The article says he received the award in August; the award is for 2025.
- Where
- The award recognizes his work overseas, including teaching and performing in the United States.
- Why
- The award recognizes his musical work and teaching; Nandakumar says it also brings responsibility to develop more talent.
- Age
- 68
- Instrument
- Mridangam
- First teacher
- Kaithavana Madhavdas, his only guru
- Moved to the United States
- 2008
- Award
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Overseas category, for 2025
- Student arangetrams
- He says he has completed 50
- All India Radio-graded students
- More than 30
- Previous Overseas category recipient
- Mohiniattam dancer Sunanda Nair, for 2024