In a remarkable cultural moment celebrating Kerala’s traditional percussion heritage, sixteen disciples made their debut performance in Chenda Melam at the Bhajan Mandapam of the Cherusabarimala Temple, Nallasopara, on Sunday, March 15 at 10 a.m.
The group, comprising participants aged between 16 and 60, had been undergoing systematic training for the past fifteen months under the guidance of renowned Mumbai-based chenda artist and teacher Kalakshetram Ajayan Nair. A notable feature of the group was the participation of three girls, including a 16-year-old student, marking a refreshing presence of women in a field traditionally dominated by men.
The training initiative was supported by the Cherusabarimala Temple Management Committee, which has been actively promoting Kerala’s cultural traditions in Mumbai. During the training period, the day-to-day lessons were led by Adityan, son of the guru, helping the participants develop rhythm, discipline and confidence in the art of melam.
After months of dedicated practice, the disciples — Latheesh Nair, Rajesh Kumar S., Sajeev Sasidharan, Venugopalan Nair, Muraleedharan K., Unnikrishnan Nair, Suresh Kumar V., Unnikrishnan Muthu, Ettumanoor Saji, Vishwambhara Varma, Pushparaj Balan, Sudhir Swaminathan, Jayaprakash K., Jiji Jayaprakash, Navya Pushparaj and Anjali Suresh Kumar — performed Chempada Melam for the first time before a packed audience at the temple premises.
The rhythmic performance received enthusiastic applause from devotees and art lovers. Following the debut Chempada Melam, a Pandi Melam was also presented under the leadership of other disciples of the guru.
On the occasion, the temple administration honoured the debut artists and their teachers in recognition of their dedication and contribution to preserving Kerala’s traditional percussion art.
The event marked yet another milestone in keeping alive the vibrant rhythms of Kerala’s temple art traditions among the Malayali community in Mumbai.