One of the most popular mridanga vidwans in the Carnatic music circuit is left-handed K Arun Prakash, whose smiling demeanour and exemplary pakkavadya dharmam have won him many friends and admirers. A disciple of the late Ramanathapuram MN Kandaswami Pillai, Arun Prakash is a respected representative of the Palani Subramaniam school of percussion.Born on 3 May 1968, Arun Prakash is a son of the late music composer L Krishnan. Starting lessons with his guru at the age of nine, Arun Prakash first ascended the concert stage two years later. His early debut meant that he got to accpmpany several stalwart musicians of an earlier generation, counting among them such giants as DK Pattammal, KV Narayanaswamy, TN Krishnan and Lalgudi G Jayaraman.Arun Prakash can be unobtrusive or noticeably brilliant depending on the situation of the concert, the lyric or the performing style of the main artiste concerned. He is fond of stating that the duty of the percussionist is to enhance the listening experience in concerts