Next week will see percussion artistes from Kerala performing in the city. What makes them different? R. Sridhar finds out

On the evenings of December 17 and 18, the quiet Horniman Circle precinct will come alive to the sounds of Kerala's percussion instruments. This unique event is part of the four-day Keli Classical Rhythm Festival featuring some of Kerala's unique and outstanding rhythm ensembles.
The event is presented by Max Touch under its Cultural Heritage Series and is being organized by Keli - a Mumbai-based organization dedicated to bringing art lovers in contact with traditional classical art forms - in association with the Prithvi Festival. The festival will include such traditional forms as Melappadam, Pandi Melam Panchavadyam, Thayampaka on Chenda and Thayampaka on Mizhavu, Sanjana Kapoor, director of Prithvi Theatre, which has supported Keli in its ventures in the past, will be the director of the festival.

The festival will be inaugurated at the Y. B. Chavan Centre on December 15 and will be followed by a Melappadam performance. Subsequent performances will be at Rang Bhavan (December 16), and Horniman Circle. The guests of honour are Ustad Alla Rakha, Pt. C.R. Vyas, Pt. Ram Narayan, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma and Shashi Kapoor.
The festival is dedicated to the memory of Venkichen Swami whose name is synonymous with percussion music and with Maddalam in particular. He had revolutionised the percussion section in Kathakali. "To see a festival dedicated to this master is wonderful because despite his status, the attitude of the present generation is deplorable. His house in Kerala which used to the temple of percussion, is today a heap of stones," rues K. Subhas Chandran, project coordinator of the festival.

The system of ensemble playing of different types of rhythmic instruments such as Chenda, Maddalam, Thimila, Edakka and Mizhavu, in addition to providing accompaniment to music and dance recitals is a tradition unique to Kerala. In no other part of the country has the display of rhythmic virtuosity by large ensembles of instruments achieved such a high degree of artistry and sophistication as in Kerala.
These ensembles play at temple festivals, during the procession of the temple deities and the performances of traditional art forms in the precincts of the temple and are capable of holding huge crowds enthralled for hours on end.
This year's Keli festival will feature five such ensembles for the first time in the city. The entire group will consist of nearly 150 artistes from Kerala. The highlight of the festival will be the remarkable skill of the artistes in blending a variety of percussion instruments, to create a magnificent harmony.

These five groups will be led by the senior-most living exponent of the five main instruments. They are Maddalam virtuoso Shri Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval, Chenda exponents Shri. Chakkamkulam Appu Marar and Shri Alipparamb Sivarama Poduval; doyen among Thimila artistes Shri Kuzhur Narayana Marar and Mizhavu exponent Prof. P.K. Narayana Nambiar.
During the festival, these veterans will be felicitated with a Veerashringala (ceremonial gold bracelet) in recognition of their invaluable contribution. The annual Keli award for the most promising artiste of the year will be presented to Kalamandalam Easwaran Unni and Shri Peruvanam Kuttan Marar. Says Sandip Das, chief operating officer, Hutchison Max Telecom Ltd, "We are proud to be associated with this Festival of Rhythm. Through Max Touch Cultural Heritage Series we are committed to the promotion of culture, heritage and the performing arts in Mumbai."