Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Of drumbeats echoing through cultures

Sound of music: Mattannur Sankarankutty, renowned percussionist, atan exhibition of rare musical instruments organised as part of Thaalam,an arts festival in memory of Pallavoor Appu Marar inThiruvananthapuram on Friday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Percussion instruments and art forms have been an integral part of every culture, whether ancient or modern. The beating drum has held people spellbound, roused armies into action and carried messages across natural boundaries.

The ongoing ‘Thaalam' arts festival organised by the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan here is an attempt to chronicle the rich tradition of percussion arts in Kerala. A variety of percussion art forms are showcased at the festival dedicated to the memory of the late Pallavoor Appu Marar, percussion maestro.

The four-day long event is being held at six venues. It includes performances by maestros, exhibition of instruments and art forms, photo exhibition on artistes, lecture demonstrations for students and the public and seminars on various aspects of rhythm.

The thrithayambaka, edakka, mizhaavu, thimila, uruttu chenda and maddalam are featured in the exhibition. Percussion teams from across the State are staging art forms such as Panchavadyam, Edakka Kacheri (Edakka concert), Keli, Kombu Patt, Kuzhal Patt, Anchadantha Melam and Elanjithara Melam.

The curtains will come down on the event with a fusion concert on Saturday evening at the Nishagandhi open-air theatre. The concert will feature Ustad Akram Khan on the tabla, Ustad Syed Zafar Khan on the sitar, Udupi S. Sreedhar on the ghatam, Kalpathy Balakrishnan on the chenda, Joboy and Jaffer on the drums and Peringode Subramanian on the edakka. Raj Chandran plays the flute, Anu Thrissur the keyboard and Y.N. Santharam the ganjira.

P.S. Rajasekharan, member secretary of Vylopppilli Samskriti Bhavan and general convener of the organising committee, said, “We have included performances of eminent artists to generate interest in the festival. The most exclusive is the Panchari Melam, an enthralling symphony by 70 artistes which is the exclusive speciality of the Arattupuzha Pooram. It is an enthralling Vadya symphony performed by 70 artistes.”

Pazhambalakkodu Prakashan, a member of the Edakka Kacheri troupe says, “It is the most difficult and challenging task to perform a Kacheri on the edakka. It is a concert with all the qualities of a classical music performance.”

Sreekanthan Nair, who visited the venue with his 10-year-old child, said the festival provided an opportunity for the younger generation to gather knowledge about the history of percussion instruments in Kerala.

A parallel exhibition organised in connection with the event features musical instruments from across the world.

The instruments on display are from the private collection of Joseph Fernandez, a music buff. Prominent among the exhibits are the Xtalaparta from Spain and the Tibetan gong, besides the Sabari Veena, Parayan Chenda and India's biggest ‘dolu' from Punjab.

Also on display are Appu Marar's personal effects, including books, recording collections made during concerts and his final medical records and prescriptions.

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