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Vikku Vinayakaram is the leading ghatam player, effectively accomplishing more than any other ghatam player before him to popularize the instrument on a global level. Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakaram was born in 1945. His father T.R. Harihara Sharma was an expert mridangam player. Learning quickly from his father, Vinayakaram was a child prodigy, starting his concert career at the age of just 13. Vikku Vinayakaram started off as an accompanist to many of the modern great vocalists like G N Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M S Subbulakshmi and Maharajapuram Santhanam. Vinayakaram's foray into the west began with the fusion group Shakthi in the mid 70s with Ustad Zakir Hussain, Carnatic violinist L. Shankar and jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. He was also part of Mickey Hart's Grammy-award winnning Planet Drum. Later he has also performed with J.G. Laya, an experimental group which includes pianists and other percussionists. Vikku and Zakir are now constant collaborators in percussion ensembles blending the Hindustani and Carnatic styles of classical purcussion, appearing in major festivals and concert tours worldwide. Vinayakaram is also the author of several books on percussion. He has trained many fine students too. Currently, he is the principal of his Sri Jaya Ganesha Thala Vadya Vidyalaya Percussion School in Madras. T.H. Subash Chandran, Vinayakaram's younger brother is also an expert in Ghatam a teacher at the school. Vikku's sons V. Selvaganesh and T.H.V. Umashankar have taken up the family tradition and are his primary disciples. Vinayakaram has received several awards including the Sangeeth Natak Academy in 1988 and the grammy 1991.
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