Adimali: It was music to the ears of Priyanka Parameswaran, when she learnt that she has won the first prize in Category III in the Mrindangam competition which is considered a male bastion. She is the Class X student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Kolazhy, Thrissur. There were 34 participants in the event, of which 32 were boys. Interestingly she came up as an appealer against judgment in the Bharatanatyam event as she got only third place in it. She started learning Mridangam from Kongarappalli Parameswaran Namboothiri first and later AIR artiste K. Jayakrishnan fine-tuned her talent.
"Prior to the state youth festival she practiced almost three-and-a-half hours a day and was so determined to win the prize," said father K.M. Parameswaran. Her mother is Latha Parameswaran and the parents rue the fact that she has not been able to win the top honour in Bharathanatyam. On appeal Priyanka got second but parents said her recorded official CD was missing and if it is recovered she stands a chance of getting first
The family of Priyanka's father is one that sustains its life from rhythm. His brother K M S Mani is also a mridangam artiste while his sister is in Switzerland as a music teacher. Another brother runs a troupe called Sopanam in Dubai and the son of another brother also is a musician there. Priyanka is yet to conduct a concert though she has done aaradharna at Thiruvambadi and Guruvayoor temples.
