chenda

chenda, which is commonly used in temples in Kerala, is becoming popular in Chennai, of late

Any attempt to find a connection between Kerala's popular percussion instrument chenda and pieces of bamboo may sound bizarre.

With their chendas on the shoulders and the kol in their hands, young brothers Anantha Krishnan and Aravind Krishnan, who are still in their teens, have staged performances throughout the length and breadth of Kerala and even outside

'chenda' was always known for its loud noise, but when he created peaceful sounds from it, many couldn't believe it. It was a bold step without deviating much from tradition.

With the mushrooming of ‘chenda melam’ groups from neighbouring Kerala, the nadaswaram and thavil players in Thanjavur are getting a raw deal these days.

He is the lead in Swapaanam, who is a chenda player

Lakshmi Devi, a 44-year-old manager and mother of two, stood out at Ernakulam Siva temple for her performance on the kurumkuzhal, breaking gender norms in Kerala's chenda melam scene. Despite initial challenges with chenda, she switched to the wind instrument, performing at numerous temple festivals and proving her dedication to mastering this male-dominated art form.

Actor Rajesh Dhruva who recently took up learning to play the 'chenda melam', says it took him 15 days to master the traditional percussion instrument of Kerala

`Thiruvathira Muthashi' is all set to debut on chenda on Tuesday, performing Chembada melam, at the age of 80. Malathy G Menon, a familiar face in the cultural scene of Kochi for more than 30 years, took to chenda at the age of 79 after trying her hand on instruments like edakka and keyboard

Percussion has not always been considered as a woman’s forte. Even now, there are some temple instruments like chenda, that women are not allowed to play.

According to artistes, chendamelam has slowly become an indispensable part of celebrations in Chennai

As candidates slog it out in the local body election campaign, chenda melam has become the newest vehicle of outreach for Usha Vijayan who is contesting from ward number 7 in Idukki’s Kudayathor grama panchayat. At each gathering, Usha and her team begins the melam slowly, but along the way it picks up pace and reaches a frenetic crescendo, before they sign it off on a high note, seeking the voters’ support.

He plays a chenda artiste in the musical

The Kerala high court on Monday directed that candidates who are using the symbol ‘chenda’ should be considered as affiliated to PJ Joseph faction of Kerala Congress (M) on the basis of letter issued by authorized representative of the party.

‘Nagari melam’, the local tribal people’s version of ‘chenda melam’ in Kerala, seems to be becoming very popular among the people in the state. Activist ‘Auto’ Suresh, of Vazhapadi, said the ‘nagari melam’ was invented by the tribals of Kalvarayan Hills.