The project has been implemented for preventing the children from dropping out from school. Around 22 children were trained under this project for chendamelam. Those children were trained under a skilled teacher (aashan) for playing Chenda and perform the events professionally and were receiving invitations for programs constantly until this year.
The current year we are facing strict lockdown since the month of March and the government has implemented strict lockdown thus preventing the public gatherings. The troop of children thus lacked programmes to perform. Even the educational institutions were closed till further notice. The children was in need of support for them as well as their family. We decided to provide food kits which include necessary provisions for their family by mobilising the fund.
The aim was to build a secure feeling in them that even at the midst of this crisis they are being supported rather than left out. Every children who received training under this project has received support in the form of provisions.
KEEN Chenda Troupe performance
The grand debut and its publicity through mass media provided the troupe with opportunity to perform at various events.
1) Chenda performance at Sreevaraham Mukkolakkal Bhagavati Temple
The temple provided an opportunity for the children to perform during the vijayadashami day on 25 October Sunday. It was a free performance. Marketing efforts made by KEEN The social workers and volunteers of Don Bosco KEEN project visited a few five star hotels and resorts at Kovalam. They introduced the team to the hotel authorities. Supplied marketing materials such as visiting cards, marketing video, and also an offer of demo performance
Click here to view the marketing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--cIaH-0Qis&feature=youtu.be
Among them The Raviz Kovalam invited us for a Demo performance.
The Demo performance was conducted to host the Delegates of the LG annual meet. At the event general manager of Raviz kovalam came to greet the children. Our children were again invited by Raviz Kovalam to welcome the West Indies cricket team, who had come for the 20-20 cricket match at the green field stadium in Trivandrum. Raviz hotel has shared the video of the event on their facebook page. Click on the link to view the facebook live by
Raviz https://www.facebook.com/RavizKovalam/videos/557804821459943/
We also provided a free demo at Trivandrum Heritage another hotel in Poovar, and we hope to get more performance in the next year
KEEN chenda Melam @ inauguration of flower show
It was a proud movement for the KEEN chenda troupe to perform in the flower show organized by the Tourism department of Kerala. The department invited the children inorder to welcome the Chief Minister of Kerala (Sri. Pinarayi Vijayan).
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Of the 22 chidlren who began the chenda practises 11 have finished the training and the initiation ceremony was conducted. The Mayor of the city and tousim departements graced the occasion. They were plesantly surprised by the skill that the kids aquired so gracefully. A crowd of over 300 people participated in the initiation ceremony.
Regular practices and perforamnce by chidlren are still continuing. There is a lot of transformation among the chidlren who attended the chenda lessons and went through the rigour of continued practise. Chidlren have improved their attention and there is marked improvement in the academic performance among the children.
We have approached the resorts and hotels in Trivandrum to allow our children to perform during their welcome ceremonies as well as when they need to show case acultural extravagenza. The Leela Raviz hotel has already accepted our request and our chidlren have performed twice of which one was to welcome the West Indies cricket team! New opportunities and exposure for our kids.
Thank you for your contribution to make a difference in the lives of deprived children!
It is almost an year since our chidlren have been training to be experts in 'chenda melam' a unique percussion instrument speicfic to Kerala, India. Our children have learnt the new rhythm in style. Now the group is almost ending their learning sessions in another month. The practise on stones have to give way to practsing on the instruments at the earliest so that they can have sufficient experience on the percussion instrument (chenda) for the 'arangettam' (offical ceremony when a novice is recognised as a professional chenda player). we require more resources to purchase the 15 sets of chenda. Two have dropped out in the course of the practise.
The chenda practice is an excercise in rhythm and precision. Practising will improve concentration and promote discipline. Our chidlren who have been into the lessons are showing marked improvemnt in their school performance which is indeed the major reason for this exercise. Those who were drop outs have been sufficiently energised to restart their school lessons and chenda lessons. There is indeed a rythm in new learnings-both scholastic and cultural.
Case Study - Chenda Melam
School Dropout prevention through Chenda melam
“We Grow according to the interest of the world. Yet we live according to the interest of our own desires”
Don Bosco KEEN tuition identified that there are children in the slum who are school dropouts and some of them are irregular in their schools. KEEN project decided to conduct an interest analysis of the school dropouts and identified that 13 among them are interest to learn chenda (an Indian percussion instrument). The KEEN project collabrated with Margi (An organization dedicated to the revival of classical art forms of Kerala) Kalamandalam Krishna Das was assigned by Margi to teach the children Chenda Melam.
Now these children are attending school and the tuition centre regularly without any force, based on a condition set by KEEN tuition that those who are not attending the tuition as well as the school are not permitted to attend the chenda classes.
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