{"id":667151,"date":"2026-08-21T00:01:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T04:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/?p=667151"},"modified":"2026-08-21T02:09:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T06:09:27","slug":"carnatic-maestro-t-s-nandakumar-honored-with-sangeet-natak-akademi-award-at-rashtrapati-bhavan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/667151\/","title":{"rendered":"Carnatic Maestro T. S. Nandakumar Honored with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>New Delhi \/ New Jersey\u2014 In a landmark celebration of India\u2019s artistic heritage, Carnatic percussion maestro T. S. Nandakumar was formally honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at a national investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan IN New Delhi on August 13, 2026. The award was presented by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, as part of the 2024\u20132025 national honors recognizing outstanding contributions to the performing arts.<\/p>\n

Nandakumar, recognized in the Overseas \u2013 Music (Mridangam) category, stood among more than 100 eminent artists celebrated at the ceremony \u2014 a gathering the President described as\u00a0\u201ca cultural map of India\u2026 woven with stories and songs native to this soil.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Maestro Rooted in Tradition, Revered Across the Globe<\/p>\n

Born in Ambalappuzha, Kerala, Nandakumar began his musical journey at age four and rose to become one of the most respected mridangam exponents worldwide. Over the decades, he has accompanied legendary stalwarts including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. D. Ramanathan, S. Ramanathan, R. K. Srikantan, Bhimsen Joshi, and M. Balamuralikrishna, earning acclaim for his precision, sensitivity, and deep adherence to Carnatic tradition.<\/p>\n

As founder of TSN\u2019s Percussive Arts Centre (TSNPAC) \u2014 first established in Maharashtra and later incorporated in New Jersey \u2014 he has trained hundreds of students in mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, morsing, thavil, and konnakol, strengthening the global footprint of Indian percussion.<\/p>\n

President of India\u2019s Reflections: A Tribute to India\u2019s Cultural Guardians<\/p>\n

In her address, President Murmu praised the awardees as\u00a0\u201cbearers of Indian tradition\u2026 the guardians of our collective memory and the creators of our vision for the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She emphasized the cultural significance of the gathering, noting:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe performing artists honored today collectively present a cultural map of India \u2014 a map woven with stories and songs native to this soil; a map that encompasses the dances and festivals of this diverse land and holds the memories of its languages and dialects.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Highlighting the sacred guru\u2013shishya lineage, she added:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur arts\u2019 most important book is the living guru. Behind every awardee stands a guru who shaped their discipline, families who sacrificed for their practice, and audiences whose love energizes their art.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She urged senior artists to continue nurturing future generations through initiatives such as the Akademi\u2019s Kala\u2011Diksha program.<\/p>\n

A Ceremony Celebrating India\u2019s Artistic Spectrum<\/p>\n

The August 13 ceremony honored artists across a vast range of traditions \u2014 Hindustani and Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, theatre, folk and tribal arts, puppetry, traditional instruments, and overseas Indian artists, including Nandakumar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The President noted that these artists\u00a0\u201ccollectively present a cultural map of India\u201d<\/em>\u00a0through their diverse contributions.<\/p>\n

Nandakumar\u2019s Message of Gratitude<\/p>\n

In his reflections, Nandakumar expressed deep humility:\u00a0\u201cI am deeply humbled and truly honored to receive India\u2019s highest recognition in the performing arts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He thanked the Akademi Council, his students, their families, and the global TSNPAC community, noting that the award\u00a0\u201cbelongs equally to every guru, student, and supporter who has walked this journey with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

His long\u2011held philosophy also resonated through the moment:\u00a0\u201cMusic is like a horizon which is never ending and has no boundaries.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Legacy Strengthened<\/p>\n

With this honor, Nandakumar joins an illustrious lineage of mridangam legends \u2014 Palghat Mani Iyer, Palghat R. Raghu, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Guruvayur Dorai, Karaikudi Mani, and Trichy Sankaran \u2014 all of whom have shaped the evolution of Carnatic percussion.<\/p>\n

His recognition at Rashtrapati Bhavan affirms not only his personal mastery but also the growing international resonance of Indian classical arts. As the Consulate General of India in New York noted, the award is\u00a0\u201ca proud recognition of his excellence in Indian classical arts and his dedicated efforts to promote Carnatic music and percussion among the Indian\u2011American community and beyond.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Global Cultural Ambassador<\/p>\n

Through decades of performance, teaching, authorship, and institution\u2011building, T. S. Nandakumar has become one of the most influential ambassadors of Carnatic percussion outside India. His honor from the Sangeet Natak Akademi stands as a tribute to a lifetime dedicated to artistic excellence, cultural preservation, and the timeless rhythm of tradition.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi \/ New Jersey\u2014 In a landmark celebration of India\u2019s artistic heritage, Carnatic percussion maestro T. S. Nandakumar was formally honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at a national investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan IN New Delhi on August 13, 2026. The award was presented by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, as part of the 2024\u20132025 national honors recognizing outstanding contributions to the performing arts. Nandakumar, recognized in the Overseas \u2013 Music (Mridangam) category, stood among more than 100 eminent artists celebrated at the ceremony…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":667152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47748],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-667151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667151"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667156,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667151\/revisions\/667156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}