"...mrdingam maestro Tiruchi Sankaran comes to Chennai once a year, but he ensures that what he plays for one season here is remembered by the rasikas, till the onset of another season. It is difficult to say whether he accompanied Neyveli Santhanagopalan or Santhanagopalan accompanied Sankaran. Virtually Sankaran's mridangam sang along with the main performer, not to speak of a unique Tani. The 'nadham' of the instrument was so soothing, at the hands of Sankaran."
The Hindu, 2004

 

"There was Trichy Sankaran, virtuoso of the mrdangam, the double-headed South Indian drum, beating out rhythmic cycles with the palms of his hands that would confound many a western-trained musician." 

The Toronto Star, Toronto. June 1998

"It was Sankaran who took virtuosity to its most vertiginous heights, articulating, with indescribable sleight of hand, a wealth of liquid sound at astonishing speeds from his tiny instrument (Kanjira). Equally as exciting were his solos on the South Indian classical drum, or mrdangam, where the complexity of the rhythmic patterns seemed as abstract and as daunting as advanced mathematics." 

The Globe & Mail, Toronto. June 1996

"As for Sankaran, he beat his fingers and palm against the South Indian tambourine known as the Kanjira with a speed and rhythmic complexity that threatened to take the breath away."

The Toronto Star, Toronto. June 1996

"Trichy Sankaran's tani avartanam (mrdangam solo) was an ecstatic display of rhythmic virtuosity."

The Hindu. Madras, India. December 1994

"The program began with Mr. Sankaran in the spotlight, playing a two-headed South Indian drum (mrdangam), accompanied by a light electronic drone set in motion... Mr. Sankaran is a fabulous musician, whose understated manner gave little hint of the virtuosity that lay in store. His unfailingly inventive handling of rhythm, texture and even pitch and his tireless execution riveted attention throughout the 20-minute span. ... Mr. Sankaran began the second half of the evening similarly, playing a tambourine (kanjira) unaccompanied and achieving remarkable variety with even more limited means Mr. Sankaran seemed fully at home with the microphones and made

canny use of the amplification right down to the end of the kanjira number, which gradually dissipated both dynamically and rhythmically." 

The New York Times, U.S.A., April 1990

"The most outstanding feature of the recital was the superb handling of the percussion portfolio by Trichy Sankaran. There were many in the audience who sat through the entire performance to hear Sankaran who represents the inimitable style of Palam Subbudu. His padding to the music and his solos were examples of his technical virtuosity."

Indian Express. Madras, India. January 1989

"Tnichy Sankaran is a drummer who leaves audiences and fellow performers speechless with his lyrical and evocative style of mrdangam , a South Indian classical drum with a double headed barrel." 

The Gladstone Observer. Gladstone, Australia. August 1988

"Sankaran displayed amazing virtuosity and invention, polyrhythms and percussive melodies rolling from those practiced hands,"

Du Maurier Jazz Festival, CODA Magazine, Vancouver, July 1988

"(When playing with World Drums) Trichy Sankaran matched top flight virtuosity with classical poise."

Globe and Mail, Toronto, Ontario. July 1988

"Trichy Sankaran's playing on the mrdangarn evoked memories of his illustrious guru Palani Subramania Pillai. His mrdangam cooed like a cuckoo, trotted like a mare, and on occasions, roared like a lion. In short, the instrument carried out his every rhythmic command." 

Indian Express. Madras, India. December 1986