Faces of India – 349 Woman Nadaswaram Player

Faces of India, a Woman Nadaswaram Player

Faces of India is a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here…

Nadaswaram, a melodious musical instrument, is played in all south Indian weddings. This instrument is played by professional wind instrument players not only in marriages but also in special auspicious events.

Nadaswaram belongs to the family of instruments called Mangala Vadyam, meaning auspicious instruments. They are played in pairs by males. But at a recent Malayalee wedding that I attended I saw a woman playing the instrument.

Dressed in a gorgeous bright pink sari she walked in playing the instrument heralding the arrival of the bride. Needless to say she snatched my attention from the bride. For a while I forgot to photograph the bride. The way she maintained rhythm with her male counterpart in playing the instrument enthralled all of us.

Nadaswaram is also called Nagaswaram. It is rated as one among the world’s loudest instruments that is non-metallic.

Woman Nadaswaram Player