Mridangam Maestro and Padma Shri Guruvayur Dorai Dies at 91 in Chennai

11 October 2026National

Guruvayur Dorai, among Carnatic music's foremost mridangam players, died in Chennai on 10 October 2026, aged 91. Born on 2 July 1935 at Guruvayur and left with polio at five, he gave his *arangetram* at eight accompanying Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, and trained under Palghat Subbaiyar, E.P. Narayana Pisharody and Palani Subramania Pillai. A master of the Pudukottai style admired for his *gumki* bass resonance, he accompanied M.S. Subbulakshmi, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.D. Ramanathan and M. Balamuralikrishna across eight decades. He held the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kalaimamani and the Padma Shri (2025).

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The mridangam is the principal percussion instrument (laya vadya) of Carnatic music, a double-headed barrel drum | Kalaimamani is conferred by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram | The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy for music, dance and drama, was set up in 1952 with headquarters in New Delhi

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