Sound business
K. RAJAN
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The skill and dedication of craftsmen who make the chenda have put their villages on the musical map of India.
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Crafting the chenda: Most traditional chenda-makers are confined to a few centres in the districts of Palakkad and Thrissur.
Chenda, perhaps the most popular percussion instrument in Kerala, has a long history. Most traditional chenda-makers, confined to a few centres in the districts of Palakkad and Thrissur, however, say that the art of chenda-making dates back to their predecessors.
Although chenda maestros like Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar believe that chenda players themselves must have originally cultivated the art centuries ago, the craft of chenda-making is now associated with around 10 Perumkollan families at Peruvembu, Nemmara, Lakkidi, Vellarkad and Valappaya.
Reminiscences of chenda makers of the past like Peruvembu Velayudhan, Palanthoni Murukan and Vellarkad Krishnankutty still remain fresh in the minds of many chenda artistes. Palanthoni Murukan, grandfather of the chenda-maker Palanthoni Unnikrishnan, had supplied chendas to greats like the Pallavur trinity – Pallavur Appu Marar, Pallavur Maniyan Marar and Kunjukuttan Marar, and art schools like Kalamandalam. His grandson Palanthoni Unnikrishnan continues to be a favourite among chenda exponents like Aliparambu Sivaramapoduval. Vellarkad Krishnankutty’s sons have also continued their glorious legacy.
Favourite destination
At present, Vellarkad has seven families engaged in the craft and is a favourite destination for players like Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar, Kallur Ramankutty Marar, among others.
There exists a demand-supply gap in the case of the chenda.
“Chenda-playing is now the source of livelihood of nearly one lakh people. At the present scale of work, it is not possible to meet the burgeoning demand for the chenda from the artistes and the art schools,” says Kallur Ramankutty Marar.
A host of developments, including an exponential increase in temple festivals, popularity of new genres of chenda-playing like Singarimelam, revival of folk arts and demand from Malayali associations abroad have contributed to the demand for chendas.
“However, over the last few years, the spread of popular genres such as Singarimelam has affected the quality of their work. For us, an ideal chenda is one that has a thinner skin cover than the chenda used by Singarimelam troupes. They require chendas with thickness in the leather and therefore chenda-making for them involves less scrubbing of the hide.
“At the same time, making chendas for such troupes is more profitable to the craftsmen,” says Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar who is now on the lookout for a suitable alternative to hide for the two sides (Edanthala and Valanthala) of the chendas. It is the wooden rings (Chenda Vattam) that require replacement. For artistes like Sankarankutty Marar, an average of 15 rings is required every year.
Chenda-makers, however, point out that it is the low quality of skins that has affected their work. They say that the chendas are of different types (Ettara Veechan Chenda, Ompathe Mukkal Veechan Chenda, Ompathu Veechan Chenda, Ompathe Kal Veechan Chenda, Ompathara Veechan Chenda, Ompathe Mukkal Kali Chenda …). Making the Vattams is in line with the requirements of each art form.
“Unlike the tabla and the mridangam, the artiste strikes on the Edanthala or Kottuvattam of the chenda, which is suspended from his neck vertically (Valanthala is struck in certain contexts in Kathakali and in folk arts like Kanyarkali).
The Edanthala portion has two layerswhile there are seven layers in the Valanthala. The hide, after being dried in sunlight, are fastened on wooden rings (Vattam) made of the trunk of a locally available palm tree (Eeranpana), using a gum prepared from the seed of a tree called pananchi tree. Great care is taken while making Valanthala.
The soft wood of the jackfruit tree (Varikka plavu) is used to make the two feet body of the Chenda,” explains Unnikrishnan.
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