The Life of an Apprentice

Disclaimer: All characters and situations in this article are imaginary and does not relate to real life of any person dead or alive. please ignore spelling mistakes as this is written partiall in tamil




This is a story of the life of swaminathan from Kumbakonam, who is an apprentice with one leading mridanga vidwan in chennai




Characters in the article:
Guru a accomplished artist called “Anna”, guru’s wife called “manni”, guru’s mother called ”maami” the hero of the story Swaminathan from Kumbakonam usually called “dai sami”,the mridangam students,sabha secretary, mridangam repairer “varadan”, fellow disiple Sankara also from Kumbakonam.

Just 1 day in swami’s life:

5:30 am sankara saya to sami “ezhuinthiru da somberi annaku inniki kutcheri irrukku”
swami thinks “let this sankara go to hell”, “I worked so hard yesterday with
the mridangam repairing it, but he was fast asleep”, who knows the pain??

6:00 am sankara “koonjam pal podi kudu da, enthu gali, annaku therunja avaladhan”

6:15 am Anna just took off from bed! “Dai sami pai(mattress), porva(blanket),
thalagani(pillow) edithu vai”

sami: “ anna manni is still sleeping”,
anna:“arrive illiya??” “enodha things ellam edithu vai”
sami: sari anna!!
Anna: nee ellam oru jammam???!?!....as though he is really great!!

6:30 am anna: “sami class students ellam vandangala??”
sami: wait panindu irukanga na
anna: “loosu” class start panna vendithu thana, dai sankara, sami eppidi da
ivelom peria loosa irukan??

Swaminathanis taking class for the student of the great vidwan who gets the fees for doing so. He is teaching a aadhi thalam korvai…..tha..thi…ki…ta..thom…that hi kit a thom….goes on….but no student grasps it right!!!

7:00 am student: “sami master I am getting late for school”
sami: tell this one korai and u can go!
Student: they will scold me in school!!

Suddenly anna comes by the way….whts happening?
Sami: he wants to finish off the class, but……
Anna: what butt…….these days school is important than the mridangam
class…..how would u know that???? U stopped schooling at 2nd standard itself!!!....

After the student and the parents have gone, anna says…. Sami “eppadi sonna than parents and students will turn up next class, if u make it late in this class they will shift the mridangam teacher!!!....these are called tactics…….Chennai is not same as Kumbakonam ….u have got a long way to go!!

7:30 am mami: sami koonjam pal kaachi kudu da sami
sami: sari mami
mami: “appdi ye enga ellarukum kaapi potudu”
sami: mami sankarakuma?
Mami: ammam da , sankara nama atthu kozanthai(kid) da!

Sami thinks “why mami did not tell his name in the coffee list??” He feels let down!

Sami: anna coffee, mami coffee, sankara coffee kudi! Manni….
Anna: hey loosu manni is sleeping….how can she drink coffee while sleeping??
Anna: u should have a look at who are all the people ready to drink coffee before making it!!!...see now one cup of coffee is waste….(he is one codger)

Sami thinksthis willnot be a waste if I drink it!! But anna din tell me to drink it!!!!

7:40 am anna: sami ella coffee tumbleraium wash panni vai…paru manni has waken up!!!! Give her coffee!!

7:45 am anna to his mother: sammi prepares good coffee know?
Mami: that’s why I told him to make coffee “avan en koffee kuduchu valandhavan da”

7:45 am mami: sami coffe eppadi iranduthu??
Sami: I don’t know mami!!
Mami: why?
Sami: I dint drink it!!
Mami: dai coffee pootavanuke sollulanuma??
Anna: hey “loosu” idhu kooda neeye panna matiya??
Sami: no anna, I was waiting for u r words
Anna: “loosu” mariyadhey manasula irundha poodhum!!

Sami thinks “ thts the prize I got fro being so respectful”

7:50 am anna: sankara and sami manniku kai nariki kudunga

Then they both cut vegetables fro cooking!! What about mridangam lessons??

8:15 am manni: Tiffin ready!
Anna : rava uppma supara irruku di
Manni: sami, sankara after anna finishes eating u two eat the remaining
uppma ok?


Sami: sari manni!
Anna: dai plate ta wash panni vai!!

After that sami and sankara had a little uppma which was just finished in 2 minutes

9:00 am anna: sami mooka pidika saaptaha?...aantha 1 ½ katta mridangatha edu!
Sami: anna, inniki evening mama ku 1 ¼ sruthi anna!
Anna: I am playing concerts for 20 years, I know more thatn what u know, do
what I say! “aadikaprasangi”
sami: sari anna

Now anna starts tuning the mridangam, sami sat down to have a deep look at it

anna: dai “loosu” ravai(sooji for mridangam) yaar pasenju koodupa?? Oonga
appana(a bit harsh for us but not for anna )

sami: sari anna

sami starts preparing the rava paste, he has done it now gives it to anna

anna: enna da ithu??? Rava kozhumbu(a watery paste) pannirike??? Idhuku
than sankarava rava pesaya sollam nu irunthen, aadhu kulla nee pannite!!

Sami thinks “ I never prompted for doing the job”…what do I am a apprentice!!

9:15 am now anna starts playing the mridangam…..it sounds nice to all but….

Anna: sami toppi(leftside of mridangam) corrtecta irryka??

Sami: nanna irruka anna
Anna: na eppidi irruku na katein??? Corrects irrukanu thana keetien!!! U
idiot u forgot tamil???
Sami: anna!! Correcta irruku na!!(he told this in fear, but he knows that it
has to be little more ower in bass)
Anna: sankara nee sollu
Sankara: innukonjam errakunam anna(lowered)
Anna: good, eventhanda sishyan!! Dai sankara…nee munnuku vandu du va

Sankara: then sami ?

Anna: avan ennake guru aiduvan!!!(he will become my guru!)





Anna plays a korvai now ……a trikala korvai…a hard one…

Anna: dai sami “****” enna thalaam podera???
Sami: sorry anna…….
Anna: nee ellam enkita mridangam kathukara????

Anna finishes playing!! Aaabha thollai mudinchuthu!!

Anna: pasangala mridangatha edthu vaiga, naa shave pannum

Sami and sankara puts back mridangam in its place, anna comes and inspects it…

Anna: yaar rava edthu vachathu?
Sankara: sami thaan anna
Anna: anan “loosu”, paar eppadi floorla sindirikan!!

Anna tells a story, naan en gurukita irukum poothu, eppadin errupen…..goes on…

Dai sami….floor keetu pooidum da!! Naan intha house a 4 lu US tour poi vangi iruken!!
Okkku enga kaasoda arumai theriya poorathu!!!


The day goes on…….i’ll write more…in my next post!!!

Till then imagine what would have happened in sami’s life!!!