Beats and rolls to drum up support

Kozhikode: A percussion

artist

contesting from Mullankolly panchayat in Wayanad is seeking votes by doing what he does best playing chenda. Chandrababu K K, who has been a

chenda

artist for nearly the last two decades, is literally trying to drum up support with his beats and rolls during house visits while campaigning.

On many days, he leaves for the campaign in the morning strapping a chenda to his shoulder along with fellow artists. During house calls, he plays the chenda for some time before seeking votes and signs off by singing folk songs.

“I take chenda along with me during the campaign as people know me more as a percussion artist than a politician,” said Chandrababu, who is the LDF candidate in the 15th ward in the border panchayat of Mullankolly.

Chandrababu is usually accompanied on house visits by a couple of his fellow instrumentalists on chenda and cymbals, apart from party workers. He has been active in the percussion and folk-art scene for long and has been part of the Surabhi Chenda Melam troupe and Nattarivu Vamozhi Pattu Kootam, a collective of around 18 folk artists, including youths from tribal communities, who have used the income from the art pursuits to continue their studies.

“The chenda has helped me jazz up the campaign. People know that we are coming on hearing the drum beats and they gather in front of their houses. Also, during colony visits, we don’t need to visit all the houses as all people there would have assembled on hearing the beats. Now, people have started to joke that they won’t vote for me if I visit their houses without a chenda,” said Chandrababu. Chandrababu, who is contesting the elections for the first time, said that though he would like to cover all houses in the ward with his chenda, it is not possible as houses are situated far apart in many places.