As the chenda beats build up, reaching a crescendo, hearts race. Listening to a thayambaka amid a crowd of chendapremis (afficianados) at a temple festival in Kerala is an utterly sensorial experience.
The thayambaka is a solo chenda concert that showcases the player’s mastery over the instrument. In a double thayambaka, two artistes perform, often in friendly competition with each other.
Kalamandalam Harish Marar and his wife Nandini Varma have created an unusual, and alluring format in their double thayambaka. At a recent performance in Ernakulam Siva temple, the couple held the crowd captive for two hours straight. Heads nodded vigorously, hands went up and feet tapped to the rhythm as the couple performed, complementing each other.
The two have been performing together for seven years, calling their gig a “dambathi thayambaka”. They found a place in the 2015 Limca Book of World Records for being the first couple to do so.
“The thayambaka is different from the panchari melam, as here the finer nuances of the art form are on display. It showcases how well you can improvise and your finesse and skill,” says Harish. While the panchari melam is a percussion ensemble comprising the chenda, ilathalam (cymbal), kombu and kuzhal, (wind instruments used in a melam), the thayambaka often has only accompanying chenda and ilathalam as supporting instruments.
Students usually learn the chenda when they are around eight or nine years old. The basic beat is taught with the help of a short stick cut from a tamarind tree and a slab of stone. It is only when the student turns 14 to 15 years that he or she is taught to plan on the actual instrument, as this is when the wrist bones fuse. Learning the basics alone could take about a year.
Harish has been a performing artiste for over 25 years, and also teaches Kathakali chenda at the Kerala Kalamandalam. The Kathakali chenda is considered one of the most challenging; as he or she has to play as accompaniment for the Kathakali performance. “It demands complete concentration,” says Harish.
When he married Nandini in 2012, she had also created a space for herself in thayambaka. She is one of the first professional female thayambaka artistes in Kerala.
Traditionally performed by men, the thayambaka demands physical stamina. Nandini, a practising Ayurveda doctor, started learning at an early age of 13. “The chenda weighs about 7-8 kilos minimum to start with and is slung across the left shoulder while performing. Only if you are really passionate about it can you sustain interest in it,” she says. She has been performing for 18 years, taking a break only during her pregnancy.
The thayambaka evolved as a temple art, but grew in popularity and is now performed in other venues such as cultural events. While women were not encouraged to play the chenda earlier, the situation has changed and today temples are open to women performers. “The reason why women don’t pursue thayambaka seriously could be because performance venues are most often temples across the State, so travelling is a must. It is usually performed in the evening, not earlier than 7 pm. For women managing families, this schedule could be a challenge,” says Nandini.
Since the two enjoyed playing the chenda together, they considered performing together as well. “Initially, we sat together and worked out several routines. Our individual styles are very different, so it took time to find a common pattern and build on our repertoire,” says Harish. They have performed in temples and venues across Kerala and outside the State as well.
Son of panchavadyam maestro Annamanada Parameswara Marar, Harish learnt under Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar, before joining the Kalamandalam for higher studies. He also trained under Pookkatttiri Divakaran Poduval and Kalloor Ramankutty Marar. Nandini, started learning from Tripunithura Gopikrishnan Thampuran. She then trained under Sankaramkulangara Radhakrishnan and later, received advanced training in thayambaka under Porur Unnikrishnan.
Harish and Nandini perform with an ensemble of 10 to 12 performers, who accompany them (four on the ilathalam (cymbal), and six on the chenda).
Harish and Nandini say they feed off each other’s energy during a performance. “We are used to each other’s techniques and can often predict what the other person would play next, however surprises do pop up during manodharma (improvisation),” says Nandini.
The grammar of thayambaka is based on counts and precision is paramount. “If you miss a single count, you lose track of the entire sequence. The brilliance of an artiste lies not just in the flexibility of his or her wrists, but also how fast he or she can make mental calculations,” says Harish. The thayambaka structure, he adds, is based on four thalams (counts) – chembada, chemba, panchari and adantha. “You can build on the base and bring in your own subtle improvisations,” says Nandini.
The two rarely get time for vacations. “For the sake of our daughter Thrayee, we now plan breaks. Ultimately it is about striking a balance,” says Nandini.