Musical troupes help devotees on their journey to the temple

Hand-in-hand: The Akini Periya Gandhi Amman Urumi Melam group and a kavadi bearer. This troupe has the first female pambhai player in Malaysia.

Thaipusam is an important festival dedicated to Lord Murugan. The Hindus celebrate it in the Tamil month of Thai (January to February).

The festival typically comprises a hive of activity as devotees flock to the Sri Subramaniar Temple in Batu Caves to fulfil their vows and pay penance to Lord Murugan. Kavadi bearers and those who carry pots of milk as offerings to Lord Murugan are also part of this crowd. However, among this lot, another group also stands out.

They are the musical troupes known as urumee melam in Tamil. Without a doubt, this group adds colour to the festivities with their mesmerising beats.

The kavadi bearers’ demonstration of devotion and thanksgiving to Lord Murugan usually starts weeks before the festival. As part of their preparations, they fast and even abstain from certain comforts.

On Thaipusam day, the urumee melam group plays a pivotal role as they are a must-have for kavadi bearers who walk along to the thumping beats. The Akini Periya Gandhi Amman Urumee Melam troupe is one of the many groups from the Klang Valley that has taken up the challenge of accompanying the bearers on their spiritual journey.

Practice makes perfect: The Sri Maayakarar Bhagavathy Urumee Melam training for the Thaipusam festival at the Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple in Taman Sentosa, Klang.

Group leader Kalimuthu Ramalingam, 29, is a religious man who joined the group four years ago. Most of the group members are relatives and good friends, making it a fun venture. “No event, function or festival is complete without music and for Thaipusam, the urumee melam is part and parcel of the festivities,” said Kalimuthu.

He has regular bookings as well and over the last few years, the group’s popularity has grown, thanks to his cousin Meenachi Saravanan’s fame. Meenachi is the only female pambhai player in the country and during Thaipusam, many visitors enjoy wathching her play the instrument. The 18-year-old started playing for the group at the age of 15. “She watched us play and picked it up. Now, she can compete with the boys,” he added.

Another group, the Sri Maayakarar Bhagavathy Urumee Melam, was formed by Uwan Kannathasan, 26, and his friends, who developed a deep interest in the folk drum called urumee, a double headed hourglass shaped drum. Uwan believes that urumee plays an important element in the Thaipusam festival as it gives devotees the energy derived from the musical beats.

“The kavadi bearers are lulled into a trance-like state by the beats. The music also gives them the energy to sustain and complete the two-hour journey up to the caves,” he said. “We also feel that as part of the urumee melam groups, youths are engaged in a healthy activity and not go astray.

“In our group, we teach our boys discipline as well as the importance of charity work,” said Uwan. Surprisingly, there are no special classes that urumee melam groups attend to master the skills of playing the instruments, namely urumee, pambhai and thavil.

Uwan, who is also the president of the group, said they mastered the skills simply by listening to urumee melam albums by popular groups in the country. “To learn the art and get it right takes about one to two months. We usually practise two times a week but nearing Thaipusam, we practise three to four times a week,” he said. When they first started, the group comprised only 10 people but has now grown to 20 members, the youngest a six-year-old and the oldest a 27-year-old.

Teamwork: Krishnamoorthy (centre) briefing his team members during rehearsal.

Playing during Thaipusam is no easy feat as they have to be at their best for the huge crowd that converges at the temple. They receive bookings as early as six months prior to the festival. During the two-day festival, they accept a maximum of eight bookings.

The money they receive is used for repairing or buying instruments and on uniforms for group members. “None of the boys has asked us for a single sen. We play because of our interest in music and not for the money. “When possible and when we have some extra money, we perform for residents at charity homes, like on Ponggal day,” added Uwan.

Like the Sri Maayakarar group, the Sri Nageswari Amman Urumi Melam (SNAUM) is another favourite among the Indian community. Its manager, R. Krishnamoorthy and his brother R. Jeyaraman as well as a friend had set up the group in June 1989. Since then, SNAUM has grown to become a leading urumee melam group in the country.

Presently, the group has 20 members. For each of them, the instruments have to be respected when handled.

“We do not drink alcohol and we are barefooted when we play the drums, even during practice sessions,” said Krishnamoorthy, adding that the youngsters do not smoke. For them, the music they make is a link between the kavadi bearer and god, bringing them closer spiritually.

A SNAUM member, Surendran Chandragasi, 28, said they took their music seriously and would never do anything to obstruct the kavadibearer’s aim or the group’s reputation.

SNAUM usually receives bookings a year ahead, mostly from regular clients and to ensure they give their best, they practise often. Their earnings are also spent on repairing and buying instruments. “We only buy the best hide for the drums because it produces better beats. We also place a lot of importance on the traditional attire we wear when performing,” said Krishnamoorthy.

For Kalimuthu, the leader of the Akini Periya Gandhi Amman Urumee Melam troupe, competition is a healthy way to gauge the the performers’ expertise. He does not allow his team members to compete outside the music arena.

“We have had players joining us, learning new things and leaving to join other groups. We don’t mind or see it as a loss as we believe in imparting our knowledge and skills. It makes us happy,” he said. The group has a Facebook page and its videos can be found on Youtube.

-thestar online.