A Kerala bride has enthralled social media users by playing the chenda (a percussion instrument) along with Shinkari Melam artists before getting onto the stage on her wedding day. While chenda melam, known as the ‘traditional orchestra of Kerala’ is usually seen at grand weddings in the state, a bride herself playing the chenda is a rarity. Giving her company, her father and the groom also reportedly joined her, playing the chenda and cymbal, respectively.
Widely circulated on social media, the clip shows a bride clad in a red saree and ornaments playing the chenda standing in the middle, surrounded by other chenda artists. The joyful bride is seen slaying the performance as she plays enthusiastically. She moves along with the beats and as the tempo rises, a man in a red kurta, who seems to be the groom, is seen joining the group, playing the cymbal. The camera pans to show an elderly man, in a green kurta, playing the chenda alongside the bride.
A Mathrubhumi report said that the bride Shilpa is a trained chenda artist and the groom Devanand is a native of Kannur. A local report said the couple got married at Guruvayoor temple in Thrissur on Sunday. The clip was captured from Rajavalsam Auditorium during the function after they had tied the knot. Shilpa has been trained in Pandi Melam, Panchari Melam and Shinkari Melam for the last eight years and she has performed on various occasions in the UAE, reports said.
Shilpa is currently working at New York University’s facility management section after completing her graduation in Mechanical Engineering. The groom, Devanand, is working as an engineer in UAE, a ‘Samakalika Malayalam’ report said.
Grand entries by brides and grooms during their weddings never fail to impress netizens. In October last year, a video of a bride grooving to the song ‘Nachdi Phira’ from the movie Secret Superstar did the rounds on social media. The clip showed the bride walking towards the stage along with her family members. She then danced towards her partner with some graceful moves.
