It was the dream of Guruvayur Krishna Vadyar, a priest, to make his son a mridangist par excellence, and this dream got translated into what mridanga vidwan Guruvayur Dorai is today. The veteran percussionist who turns 81 this year, willingly travelled down memory lane for Sruti, confessing that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Dorai was born on 2 July 1935. Music was always in the air; growing up in Guruvayur, Kerala, close to the Guruvayurappan temple, he had the golden opportunity of listening to musicians of high repute every now and then. As their house was on North Mada Street his father played host to all the musicians who visited the temple. His father’s earnings were quite meagre.