But why gloves?

I've been getting a lot of questions about why I wear gloves when playing the Mridangam, so I wanted to share the reason with you all.

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I have a condition called hyperhidrosis, which causes excessive sweating on my palms. Despite trying just about every form of medication, nothing has worked for me. To manage this while playing, I’ve experimented with viboothi, powder, and sunnambu (slaked lime)—but all of these affect the resonance of the Mridangam’s main head, which isn’t ideal.

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To put it in perspective: my hands aren’t just damp—they’re more like a waterfall.

Because I love playing the Mridangam, I started experimenting with different kinds of gloves and eventually settled on regular latex examination gloves. They're super thin, so I can still feel the drumhead—which is crucial for me.

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Some of you might wonder if the gloves change the tone. The short answer is: yes, slightly. But my sweaty palms were compromising the tone by about 10%. With gloves, it’s only around 2%.

All good! I'm figuring it out just like the rest of us :)