‘I prefer traditional thayambakas to the modern versions, but I am not against meaningful innovation’

Parents would generally recommend sweets or singing to pacify a squalling toddler. But, Cherussery Anand’s dad says what worked for his son was something else — playing chenda. Offer a few honey drops of the rhythms and Anand would smile. It’s hardly surprising considering that he from a family of maestros of the instrument.
However, the boy was enchanted by chenda as he grew up, and now at 20 years old, he is considered one of the most promising upcoming thayambaka artistes of the State. The Kerala Varma College student has accomplished a lot already with his resume consisting of sharing stages with many legendary artistes, awards and accolades at school and college level and performances in all the major temples.
His father, Cherussery Kuttan Marar, has earned a name as an exponent of melam. However, it’s thayambaka that Anand focuses on. While melam is a group performance, thayambaka is solo.
“You need to be adept at thayambaka to perform at melam as well, and I have taken part in many melams. Just that it’s thayambaka that gives me more satisfaction as a performer,” says the shy youngster, who also prefers to let his chenda do the talking.
Anand, who started his training with his dad when he was around six years old, had his arangettam within a year. “The rhythm of chenda is the heartbeat of our home, and I have been used to it ever since I could remember. Probably because of that, I had to spent lesser time training, before the arangettam,” he says.
From the age of seven, Anand has been a professional. Once back from school, he would drop his bag and rush off to temples to perform thayambaka. “It is performed at the dusk and can go on for about an hour and a half to two hours. Post the session, I would return home and study. That has been the routine for me always and so, chenda never became a burden,” he recalls.
Alongside his dad, Anand has also trained briefly under renowned thimila-thayambaka expert Kelathu Kuttappa Marar.
The art of thayambaka has been undergoing numerous innovations in the recent times, with artistes prioritising the aspect of ‘impressing the new age audience’ more than adhering to the traditional rules.
Despite being a youngster, Anand says he isn’t in favour of it. “I don’t find those styles of performance, which makes thayambaka louder and distracting, appealing at all. However, I am not against quality innovation. I do wish to make my contribution to thayambaka, just like how my grandfather Kumarapuram Appu Marar has done in melam,” he says.
Anand has many recognitions to his credit, starting with the A grades at School Youth Festivals to consecutive gold medals won at renowned thayambaka competitions, like the Kachamkurissi Kannan Marar Memorial and the Malamakkavu Kesava Pothuval Memorial competition. He has also performed in the renowned temples across Kerala, including Guruvayoor, Triprayar, Thripunithura and Thiruvambady.
A few of the artistes he has collaborated with includes Mattannur Udayan Namboodiri, Ottappalam Hari, Kalamandalam Vivek and Thrikkoor Ashok G Marar. The young artiste says he also enjoys observing and learning from the performance of other artistes. “Right from childhood, he enjoys watching CDs of other artistes’ performance and keeping time aside to go for their shows too. I guess it’s that passion that guides Anand ahead the best,” concludes his father Kuttan Marar.