Demand for Chenda Melam goes up as campaign gathers pace in Tiruchi

The demand for Chenda Melam, a percussion instrument widely played across Kerala, has risen up sharply as many political parties prefer the troupe to attract the crowds.

No meeting of mainstream parties, especially the AIADMK, takes place without the performance of a chenda melam troupe these days. They have been ubiquitous during campaigns or visits of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and other prominent leaders. The organisers feel the beats enthral and entertain crowds. Hence, they invariably involve chenda melam for crowd pulling.

Most political parties, mainly the DMK and the AIADMK, have announced their candidates and they started canvassing votes. They invariably book chenda melam troupes.

According to sources, the demand for the troupes is going up steadily since last week. There are about 200 troupes in Tiruchi. Since the political parties released their list of candidates, the organisers are getting calls for campaigning and canvassing.

“We have sent our groups to Paramakudi, Madurai, and other areas of the State for the campaign related meetings and canvassing. We hope that the next three weeks will be busy for us,” says S. Sandanam, a chenda melam organiser.

Each troupe consists of 10 members. The organisers charge ₹15,000 for a group. To cash in on the demand, sources added that at least 20 groups had arrived in Tiruchi.