Rima Kallingal ’s tryst with the chenda began with Vattam, a new dance production by her team, Mamangam . What started as research for the production soon saw the actress-dancer and her team learning the instrument and eventually making their chenda arangettam in Pancharimelam at the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi in Thrissur. Rima speaks to us about immersing herself in the art form, learning alongside her team and the lessons that went beyond the drum. Excerpts:




‘A new stage production paved the way’



It was Vattam that first drew Rima to the chenda. The title, which means ‘circle’, also refers to the drumhead made from animal hide. The production traces the many transformations the hide undergoes — from animal and food to craft, sacred object and, eventually, art.



“At the heart of the production is how these narratives create circles of class, hierarchy and power — who gets included and who gets left out. The piece argues that the circle can’t be complete unless everyone is let in,” explains Rima.



For her, learning the instrument became integral to exploring that idea. “I couldn’t ask performers to inhabit the instrument’s history without first understanding it in my own body,” she says.




‘We realised the scale of our endeavour only later’



Rima says the team was too immersed in learning the chenda to dwell on how demanding the process was. “We were absorbed by the sheer wonder of the art form and the weight of its 1,400-year history. It was only when people started reacting to what we were doing that we realised how big an undertaking we had signed up for,” she recalls.



The learning process also took them to Peruvanam Pooram , where they met Peruvanam Kuttan Marar to understand the tradition more closely. “We travelled to Peruvanam for the Pooram, where Panchari Melam itself was born, and we met Peruvanam Kuttan Marar to understand the tradition more closely. We were completely engulfed by the beauty and grandeur of this majestic art form, so the difficulty never came into question. We were completely engulfed by the beauty and grandeur of the art form, so the difficulty never came into question,” she says.




‘We are students for life’



The experience, Rima says, reinforced the idea that “we are students for life” and that there is no endpoint to learning.



Doing it as a group made the journey even more rewarding. “There was something invigorating about learning together. The shared experience gave the process a meaning that went far beyond learning an instrument,” she says.



Playing as part of an ensemble also offered a larger life lesson. “You have to stick to your own lane and give it your complete focus. The moment you waver, you lose the rhythm, and so does the ensemble. Then there are moments when everyone comes together organically to create a symphony. That lesson extends well beyond the drum.”




‘There was a lot of nervous excitement’



The arangettam, Rima admits, brought its share of nerves, particularly with stalwarts of the art form in attendance. “It felt like an adult version of kids with money — we did what we wanted to do,” she laughs. “We put in the effort and conducted our own arangettam, as opposed to our parents doing it for us.”



And the journey isn’t ending with the debut. With two bookings already lined up, Rima says the team intends to keep performing. “We’ve even been joking that we should start a kala samithi that performs melam,” she laughs as she signs off.