T. H. Vinayakram

2023-04-02T08:15:50Z

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{{Infobox musical artist
| image = Viku Vinayakaram.JPG
| image_size =
| name = Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1942|08|11}}
|birth_place = [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date =
| instrument = [[Ghatam]], [[Morsing]]Kavin
| genre = [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]], Fusion
| occupation = percussionist
| years_active = 1951–present
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website =
}}
'''Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram''' (born 11 August 1942), also known as '''Vikku Vinayakram''', is an Indian percussionist. He is also known as the God of ''[[ghatam]]''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} He plays [[Carnatic music]] with the ''[[ghatam]]'', an earthen pot, and is credited with popularising the ghatam.

He was awarded the [[Padma Shri]], given by [[Government of India]] in 2002,<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> and later the 2012 [[List of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellows|Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]], the highest honour in the performing arts conferred by the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. In 2014 he was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]].

==Early life==
Vinayakram was born to Kalaimaamani T. R. Harihara Sharma, a musician and teacher. He took up playing at a very young age.

==Career==
Vinayakram's concert career began at the age of 13. His first performance was on 5 March 1957 at the [[Rama Navami]] festival in [[Thoothukudi]]. While proceeding for the [[arangetram (dance)|arangetram]] the tuned ghatam instrument was broken by a child named Ganesh, which by itself had been a good omen for his bright career. where he accompanied V.V.Sadagopan. He was soon accompanying many vocalists in Carnatic music at the time, including [[Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar]], [[M K Thiagaraja Bagavathar]], [[Dr Sirkazhi S.Govindarajan]], [[Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna]], [[G. N. Balasubramaniam]], [[Madurai Mani Iyer]], [[Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer]], [[M. S. Subbulakshmi]] and [[Maharajapuram Santhanam]]. His brother, T. H. Subhash Chandran, also excelled in the field. The Ghatam rose to fame as a percussion instrument that required nimble fingers and strong stomach muscles to control the mouth of the pot.<ref>https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Stage/2225/articles/vinayakram.html&date=2009-10-25+11:42:25 {{Dead link|date=June 2022}}</ref>

Vinayakram's tryst with the international music platform came in the early 1970s when he joined [[Shakti - The acoustic music band|Shakti]] to play along with John McLaughlin and [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]].

He has also performed at Basant Utsav, the annual fund raiser for the Banyan.

Vinayakram is Principal of Sri Jaya Ganesh Tala Vadya Vidyalaya in Chennai, India – the academy established by his late father and teacher in 1958. It continues to produce new stars of Carnatic percussion. Vinayakram's son [[V. Selvaganesh]] is a percussionist, especially after tours with [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]]'s group, ''[[Remember Shakti]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hart beat |first=Tanvi |last=Salkar |date=3 December 2009 |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hart-beat/549375 |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref>

==Discography==
* ''[[A Handful of Beauty|A Handful of Beauty (Shakti Album)]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Natural Elements (Shakti album)|Natural Elements]]'' (1977)
*''[[Planet Drum]]'' (1991) – [[Mickey Hart]]
*''Straight to your Heart'' (1990) [[Nadaka]] & Ganesh Rajagopalan
*''[[Mysterium Tremendum]]'' (2012) – Mickey Hart Band

==Awards==

Vinayakram was nominated for the 1996 [[Grammy Awards]] for [[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album|Best World Music Album]] for his participation in 'Raga Aberi' along with [[L. Shankar]] on the ten string double violin and [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]] on the tabla (the piece is set in the [[Tala (music)|tala]] cycle of 4¾ beats).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} The Indian Government decorated him with the [[Padma Shri]] Award in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009)|publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]|url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095705/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf|archive-date=10 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Finally, he was awarded the 2012 [[List of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellows|Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]] (Akademi Ratna), the highest award in performing arts in India, given by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Awards 2012 |url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2012/dec/d2012122401.pdf |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Govt of India |access-date=28 May 2012}}</ref> In 2014 he was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]] by [[Government of India]]<ref>{{cite web | title =Padma Awards Announced |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs| url = http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=69364 |date=25 January 2014|access-date = 26 January 2014}}</ref>

Vinayakram was awarded Dr.M.S.Subbulakshmi Centenary award, on 16 September 2016.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AllMusic |id=mn0001761539}}
* [http://www.last.fm/music/Vikku+Vinayakram Vikku Vinayakram] at [[Last.fm]]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2010–19}}
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinayakram, Thetakudi Harihara}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ghatam players]]
[[Category:Indian percussionists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Chennai]]
[[Category:Planet Drum members]]
[[Category:Morsing players]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:Shakti (band) members]]
[[Category:Remember Shakti members]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]

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T. H. Vinayakram