The drum that changed their destiny

Playing the chenda, a percussion instrument, has transformed the lives of the members of Swarnalayam,an all-women Singari melam troupe

August 29, 2014 07:41 pm | Updated September 01, 2014 04:03 pm IST

Swaralayam performs at Dakshinchitra, Muttukadu Photo: M.Karunakaran

Swaralayam performs at Dakshinchitra, Muttukadu Photo: M.Karunakaran

Three years ago, Shailaja’s life revolved around her husband, an auto-driver, and her work at a textile shop in Kuruvattoor Panchayat in Kozhikode, Kerala. She rarely stepped out of the panchayat, let alone her home. Today, she travels across the country, has a large circle of friends, and walks with a spring in her step and a smile on her face — all thanks to an instrument she learnt to play.

The chenda, a percussion instrument played widely across Kerala, has added a happy rhythm to the lives of women such as her. They have formed a Singari melam troupe called ‘Swarnalayam’, under the initiative of Kudumbashree, a State government project that aims at empowering women through self-help groups and a range of activities. The team is here in the city to perform as part of DakshinaChitra’s Onam celebrations.

Chenda melam has long been associated with men — women’s troupes such as Swarnalayam are changing this. It all happened within ten months of the Kudumbashree coordinator Anil Kumar’s arrival at Kuruvattoor. He approached the gram panchayat with his team’s proposition and asked if the women were interested.

Soon, the spark caught on — Sree Latha, Reeja Kumari, Bindu, Ajitha Kumari, Vanaja, Usha, and Sreeja, among others, signed up to learn to play the chenda.

The training was hard. “The instrument would keep slipping from my grip,” says Ajitha. “It was quite heavy.” Reeja says that she developed pain in the thighs and shoulders — the chenda is slung across the left shoulder and balanced on the thigh. Not all of their fellow villagers were supportive. “Some of them mocked us,” says Latha. “They said women should keep away from the instrument as it would affect their health. A lot of people discouraged us,” she adds. But all this did nothing to the women — they continued practising their art. In fact, it only urged them to work harder, according to Shailaja.

Today, Swarnalayam has 20 members, including four children. They have travelled to places such as Mumbai and Coimbatore, and people come to their village asking for the ‘all-women troupe that plays the chenda’.

Latha has always wanted to learn to play the instrument. She grabbed the opportunity when it came her way. “It feels so good,” she says. “All of us are here because of support from our family. Those who made fun of us have been silenced. They are even asking if they can join us now — they regret that they missed a chance to learn something new.”

Reeja feels that playing the instrument has made her stronger. “I’m not going to pay to get fit at a gym or exercise on my own. But the chenda makes me work out,” she smiles.

“I’m physically, mentally and financially strong now,” she adds. For Shailaja, the chenda has made her financially independent. “I never thought that I would be able to be the woman that I am now,” she smiles.

These soft-spoken women take on a new avatar as they strap the chenda to their shoulders. The sky grows dark as they take their positions. In unison, Swarnalayam sends out a cadence of thunderous beats as rain drizzles down on them. But they go on, as if in a trance. Combined with foot movements, the clang of the talam or brass cymbals, and the rhythm of the rain, the performance is almost hypnotic. Shailaja lets go as she elegantly moves her feet and her hands beat the talam.

She keeps the rhythm of the team going by calling out ‘hoi!’ at regular intervals — she grins widely every time she does so.

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