Umayalpuram Sivaraman: ‘I have not even touched the tip of the iceberg’

With 75 years of performance behind him, mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman’s zest is still as high as it was when he started playing at the age of five

We’ve been talking on the phone for a few weeks before we schedule the interview. From the way he picks up the threads of earlier conversations to the precision with which he gives me directions, it is clear that Vidwan Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman has never missed a beat in his life. The evening I land up, he is waiting at the door. I am glad I am not late. At 86, he is sharp as a tack, tracking a dozen things — the recorder, my coffee, our masks, the clock, and more. The enormously gifted UKS has completed 75 years of performance, a career marked by a bravura progression from milestone to milestone, sweeping up all available awards in its wake. And I am here to play chronicler, to document some of those magical moments and memories. Through the three hours we speak, not once does he lean back in the chair nor take a sip of water. A tiny smile plays on his lips and his eyes gleam, and you see up close the charisma he emanates from the stage.