Karaikudi R. Mani & Sruthi Laya
w. Smt. Rajeswari & Vaishnavi Sainath, Bharat Natyam

were back in Sweden/Denmark in the fall of 2009: Great concerts at Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg; Kulturhuset, Stockholm; Inkonst, Malmö and Global in Copenhagen.
This time with the great musicians U.P. Raju, mandolin & B.V. Balasai, flute
plus
Bharat Natyam dancers Rajeswari Sainath and her daughter Vaishnavi.

*
Karaikudi R. Mani is considered the greatest mridangam player in Karnatic music today. As such he has to be one of the greatest percussionists in the world, given the complexity of the Karnatic music system.
He had his initial training under Karaikudi Rangu Iyengar, later under Harihara Sarma and K M Vaidhyanathan.Karaikudi Mani has established a unique style of his own in playing the mridangam. His tonal quality, sound production and virtuosity are perfection personified. In short he is a mridangist who has beautifully blended sound, scholarship, sense and silence. He has set several intricate and scholarly rhythmic combinations which have had great impact on both musicians and music lovers. Thus he has acquired a vast following of errudite and common audience. He has composed and conducted several percussion ensembles and has accompanied all the top ranking karnatic musicians. He has trained a number of young mridangists in India and abroad.
For many years he has been leading the Sruthi Laya (=melody and rhythm) ensembles which have made a great impact on audiences in India, Sweden and elsewhere.

*

His Last visit was in 2006 when Karaikudi R. Mani performed in south of Sweden in the summer with his group Sruthi Laya and Bharat Natyam dancers Rajeswari Sainath and her daughter Vaishnaviin Malmö, Simrishamn and at Lyckå Kammarmusikfestival, Karlskrona