When rapper Hanumankind brought Chenda drummers to Coachella, he wasn’t just making music, he was making history.
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00:00Make some noise for my Chenda boys in the back.
00:09When Hanuman Kain took the Coachella stage this year,
00:12he brought more than just bars and beats.
00:14He brought Kerala with him.
00:16Flanked by Coachella Beatle Beats, a Chenda ensemble,
00:18the rapper fused hip-hop with heritage.
00:21But this thunderous drum from South India
00:22has a story older than music festivals and viral videos.
00:26The Chenda is no ordinary percussion instrument.
00:28It's a barrel drum played vertically with sticks,
00:30built for performance in open-air temple grounds.
00:33Traditionally, it wasn't used to celebrate,
00:35but to wake up the gods.
00:36Rooted deeply in Kerala's temple rituals,
00:38the Chenda has been part of religious ceremonies for centuries.
00:41Some say its thunderous sound was meant to drive away evil spirits.
00:45Others believe it was tuned to match the divine energy of Kathakali,
00:48the classical dance drama of Kerala.
00:50Legend has it that in a village near Thrishu,
00:52a boy mastered the Chenda so well,
00:54his rhythms could silence even the monsoon.
00:56He later led the annual temple melam,
00:59and villagers say to this day,
01:01no rain falls during his performance.
01:03The most iconic Chenda performance,
01:05the Panchari melam or Pandi melam.
01:07Massive ensembles of 100-plus drummers,
01:09creating sounds so powerful it hits your chest,
01:11not just your ears.
01:13Chenda drummers are a regular sighting during temple festivals
01:15and are essential to art forms like Kathakali,
01:17Thayyam and Kuddiyatham,
01:19where they guide the emotion and tempo of every performance.
01:22In Kathakali, the drummer must match every expression,
01:24every footstep with perfect timing.
01:27But the Chenda isn't stuck in the past.
01:29Today, its rhythms are making their way into film scores,
01:31fusion music and global festivals.
01:33Artists like Hanumankind aren't just showcasing tradition,
01:36they are transforming it.
01:37From sacred rituals to global stages,
01:39the Chenda remains a call to the divine,
01:41a heartbeat of culture
01:42and a sound that refuses to be ignored.
01:45Stay tuned to The Culture Project on More
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