Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam

On the divine occasion of the 68th birthday celebrations of Parama Pujya Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji on May, 2010 the first ever of its kind musical presentation “ Laya Madhura Mridanga Yagna” led by mridanga maestro Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam was organized at the Avadhoota Datta Peetham in Mysore. This concept devised by Swamiji had 108 mridangam artists from all over India participating in it. Based on a new raga “Sachchidananda” dedicated to Swamiji, it will explore the concept of four in melody and rhythm. The number four has a special significance – we have Brahma, the creator having four faces, the four vedas, the seasons are four, the most common beat in classical music is made of four units and so on. This unique musical offering was also based on the concept of four. The 108 mridangam artists werr divided into four groups, representing the four varieties of rhythm namely – Chatusram, Tisram, Khandam and Misram. The raga “Sachchidananda” is woven around the four notes – Sa, Ga, Pa and Dha and the mrudangam was also tuned to each of these notes by the four groups. Apart from playing intrinsic patterns, the four groups also presented four Korvais.

Sri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam is the founder, director of the "Laya Madhuraa" School of music, which has its headquarters at Chennai,coimbatore and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Laya Madhuraa School of Music was inaugurated in the year 2000 with the aim to nurture and train young talents in Mrudangam, the mother of percussion in the field of South Indian Carnatic Music. The school has evolved systematic training methodologies and has been successful in producing numerous Mrudangam artists all over the world. It is also presently working on conceptualizing innovative percussion ideologies and introducing the nuances of Layam and Nadhaam of the Mrudangam even to a common man to realize the values of our traditional art.

He has been on concert tours in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, accompanying a galaxy of musicians on the mridangam for musicians of three generations. He has also travelled to Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and the U.A.E. He has represented India in many music festivals held abroad, some of which were organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. Some of his notable performances are Tala Vadhya Kutcheri at the festival of India, Paris in June 1985, flute and violin Jugalbandis in Australia in February 1987, the Olympic music festival held in Barcelona in Spain in 1992, a festival of Indian Music in U.S.S.R. in 1997, the fund-raising programme organised by the Bay Area Tamil Mandram and Sankara eye foundation at Hayward, California, US in 2003. He has been performing for the last FOUR decades, accompanying a galaxy of musicians of THREE generations. For his aesthetic and embellished accompaniment on the Mrudangam, he has been bestowed with awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi award by Govt. of India, Kalaimamani by State Govt of Tamil Nadu, Vishwakalabharati, Mrudanga Chudaroli, Lifetime achievement award by Shanti Arts Foundation. He is also Asthana vidwan of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Mutt

Bakthavathsalam married Rajam on 22 May 1985.His wife Rajam is the daughter of Vazhuvoor Samraj and is the grand daughter of Vazhuvoor B.Ramaiah Pillai .They have three daughters Harini,Mahalakshmi and Lavanya. Harini and Lavanya are learning vocal and Dr.Mahalakshmi is a Bharatanatyam dancer and a dental surgeon .

Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam (or Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam) (born 25 November 1956) is a mridangam Vidwan from a family of traditional musicians in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu, India. He is currently staying in Chennai.