I have a habit of writing the “Aum Nama Sivaya” mantra 108 times every Pradosham day and offering it to our beloved God, Siva. My family and I have been doing this for the past four years. At the end of the 108 mantra recitations, we write a wish to God, a personal note, thanking Him and seeking guidance for one of our current challenges. If there’s nothing specific, we use our creativity to express our love for our beloved God.
On one Pradosham day in late 2020, I wrote a letter to Siva that said, “Paramasivaney, I would like to learn Mridhangam. Please guide me on how to find a Guru.” For many, including me, the Covid period was difficult. We lost many dear ones. During that time, I picked up pencil drawing as a habit—it allowed me to practice concentration, and I felt at peace whenever I drew something meaningful.
That Pradosham evening, I was at a Sai Baba temple near my home, sketching the Sai Baba Murti. All the devotees who passed by gave me encouraging looks. After the final arati, a person named “Arun” from Amrita Viswapeetam approached me, appreciated my drawing, introduced himself, and we exchanged contact information. It was a Saturday night.
The next morning, around 10 a.m., Arun called and asked, “Do you want to learn Mridhangam?” I was surprised and asked, “Why are you asking?”
Arun said, “There is an online Mridhangam demo class at 11. Will you join?” I said yes and joined the session. I met the teacher and his students and learned “Tha… Thi… Dhom, Num.” The introduction class lasted about 30 minutes.
After the class, I contacted Arun to learn more about the teacher. He told me the teacher’s name was “Paramasivan” and added that his own full name was “Arunachalam.” I felt as if a temple bell was ringing in my head. Ding Ding!
Two days later, Vidhwan Paramasivan and Arun came to our home to begin the classes. Arun brought one of the demo mridhangams, and Sir brought another for us to practice with. After a short puja, we started to unpack the mridhangam.
Left: Myself, Paramasivan Sir, My son Guru Saasta and Arunachalam from 2021
All of us—including Sir, Arun, and my entire family—were pleasantly shocked to see a label on the mridhangam that Arun brought (not opened). It had the name “Madan” written on it. We were speechless for a moment, and then I asked, “Sir, what is this?”
Sir replied, “I used to have a student named Madan. Father and son were practicing Mridhangam together. It’s a divine coincidence that this mridhangam has come to you.”
This divine dance has stayed with us ever since, and my inner journey truly began with that incident.
Aum Nama Sivaya
