Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram, also known as Vikku Vinayakram, was born on August 11, 1942, in Madras, Madras Presidency, British India. He is an Indian percussionist specializing in the ghatam, an earthen pot used in Carnatic music. Vinayakram began his concert career at age 13, performing at the Rama Navami festival in 1957. His early performances included accompanying notable vocalists such as Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar and M.S. Subbulakshmi. In the early 1970s, Vinayakram gained international recognition by joining Shakti, a group featuring John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. He won the Grammy Award in 1991 for his work on Mickey Hart's album Planet Drum. Vinayakram was awarded the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2012, both prestigious honors from the Government of India. He also received the Padma Bhushan in 2014.
