Born to the rhythm

KOCHI: When my grandson Anand was just two years old, my son and I were playing thavil and nadaswaram in a temple once. To everyone’s shock, he emerged from his mother’s embrace and immediately took the plate, on which the priest had kept flowers. He started hitting it with his fingers, blending his rhythm to the keerthanam that was being played. That is when we realized that he has natural potential in playing the percussion,” recalls P Susheela, Nadaswaram artist from Nedumangad. 

Susheela has been playing Nadaswaram for over 40 years now. The instrument is often played with the percussion thavil and its ensemble. Susheela was always accompanied by her son, brother, or her son-in-law, who are also thavil artists. Now, she performs with her 11-year-old grandson Anand B V. The grandmother-grandson duo has been enthralling people at weddings and temple celebrations. “In festivals, it is a common sight to see kids crying for ballons and toys. But Anand, on the other hand, used to ask for items he could turn into a percussion instrument. Once he gets his hands on them, he would make beats until it wears off,” quips Susheela. 

Hailing from a family of musicians, it wasn’t hard for Anand to find his natural inclination. “We got him a thavil when he was five and his father and uncle taught him everything they knew. We plan to train him more under other professionals,” says Susheela. Anand started performing with Susheela when he was just eight, and his passion made his family facilitate the same. “Even when he makes mistakes, we or the audience don’t flinch. Instead, we motivate him to keep performing,” says Susheela.

“My grandmother and father play together during events. A while into the gig, I take my father’s position and play in tune with the keerthanam my grandmother plays on her nadaswaram,” says Anand. Raagas including Hamsadhvani, raga surabhi, and many more come easy to this young artist. When all three of them play together, Anand would play brass thalam. 

Anand practices thavil and nadaswaram daily for hours. “Playing thavil puts me in a state of bliss. As I start striking it, the urge to learn more lessons and to be an expert at the percussion would peak for me,” he says. Apart from thavil, the Class VII student dabbles with his grandmother’s nadaswaram too occasionally.