From Temple Courtyards to the Modern World: The Story of Sopanam School of Panchavadyam
In those days, it was common for boys like him to begin studying traditional percussion at the age of six. Both his father and grandfather were percussion artists. His teacher was a master of the art, but it was customary to test the student's limits of exertion and pain. As a young child, he had to squat in the air without resting his bottom on the ground, relying solely on the strength and endurance of his thigh and shin, while practicing the beats of Chenda and Thimila on wooden blocks for hours. In those days, a village boy like him faced limited opportunities and poverty, making it impossible to consider leaving. This rigorous training eventually shaped him into an exceptional artist.
Tested with extreme and merciless teaching methods, he lived in constant fear of his teacher. The boy's parents, accustomed to such training and harsh ways of life, completely disregarded his suffering. Constantly striking wooden blocks caused painful sores on his hands, which oozed yellow pus and emitted a terrible odor. Every day, he immersed his hands in salt water, gritting his teeth against the pain, so that by the next day, his palms and fingers would be somewhat healed, allowing him to practice again. His name was Manikandan, an old-fashioned name that he later changed to Santhosh as he matured, opting for a name with a more modern appeal at the time. At 15, he began teaching traditional percussion to students, subjecting them to the rigorous training methods that were standard in those days. This young boy, who eventually became a master Thimila percussion performer known as Santhosh Alamkode, founded the Sopanam School of Panchavadyam in Malabar.
Santhosh, at the age of 16, was already a known figure in traditional percussion performance and training circles, as he established in 2010, Sopanam School of Panchavadyam, a school that would later become a household name in Kerala's mainstream art discourses.
The school started at the Kozhissyangattu Bhagavathi temple grounds in Valayamkulam, Malappuram, Kerala, the southernmost state of India, without a proper building, relying instead on a temporary shed constructed from woven coconut palm leaves.
Santhosh, with a formal education of only up to 6th standard, had by then learned the bitter lessons that only life can so profoundly teach, and hardened himself to survive the worst.
He established a trust called Sopanam Cultural and Education Trust, with the grammatical imperfection in the name highlighting his limited formal education. Nonetheless, the value he brought to this institution greatly outweighed those imperfections.. He placed the school under this trust to ensure it became a public asset instead of serving his private financial interests.
The school specialized in training for traditional Kerala percussion instruments such as Chenda, Thimila, Madhalam, Edaykka, Kombu, Kuzhal, and Ilathaalam. These instruments are central to traditional orchestrations like Panchavadyam and Thayambaka.
The trust was officially formed on July 26, 2012, to oversee the school's mission of popularizing Kerala's percussion traditions through inclusive training, research, and festival participation. As a teacher and performer, Santhosh was an instant hit among the aesthetes who cared about preserving Kerala's rich and diverse traditional percussion forms. His hands had the swiftness of a machine, and a precision that made his beats resound with perfect notes. Yet, his path significantly began to diverge from growing into a master performer as he always had deep convictions about society and social justice.
The percussion field in Kerala is ridden with a nasty kind of casteism, that approved only of artists belonging to certain castes performing in certain percussion instruments. For example, Timila is reserved for Nair caste and Idaykka for Marar category. Santhosh had by then imbibed the values of justice and equality that the socialist spirit of India's not-very-old freedom struggle and Kerala's recent and successful communist experiment ensued. He assebled a team of percussion artists, many among them his training-mates and friends, but also from the lower castes, the members of social categories considered untouchables till the second half of the 19th century in Kerala. Despite the renaissance movement in Kerala spearheaded by the likes of Sree Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, and Dr Palpu, emboldening 'lower castes' to question this discrimination, caste had remained a latent force in the social fabric and people's psyche. Many temples still are reluctant to employ Santhosh's percussion team as it consists of artists from these 'pariah' castes. Yet our protagonist never regretted his decisions. His early training had made him immune to physical and mental pain as well as dire financial hurdles whatsoever, which would have broken a man in his circumstances, throwing everything off balance.
The school grew steady and slow. Notable achievements of the school include two Limca Book of Records entries: one for the 2010 debut, 'Vadya Pranavam', featuring 201 artistes, who performed the first in history mega Panchavadyam performance. The most difficult aspect of such a performance was to make sure that the beats of all the 201 artists combined to form a single beat. All these percussion performance have a 'pramani' similar to a conductor in an orchestra but the 'Pramani' would lead the performance by positioning himself at the centre of the ensemble and performing too. Santhosh improvised and designed the mega Panchavadyam so that not only the ears of the artists could sharply hear the beats of every other artist but also each one of them could see the hand movements of every other artist. When the first beat fell on the drums, thundering at the performance venue as a powerful synchronised single beat, people roared and clapped in ecstacy. The perfection of that single note, he considered his signature.
Santhosh loved such challenges and went on to organise another mega percussion event, this time in another percussion form, Tayambaka. In 2015, the 'Thalavykhari' performance involving 101 students and 163 supporting artists by Sopanam School of Panchavadyam commenced before a wonderstruck crowd. Both these events won a place in Limca Book of Records.
So far, the school has educated around 1,500 students in the districts of Malappuram, Palakkad, and Thrissur. Santhosh is now respectfully referred to as 'Ashaan', a term that means 'respected teacher'. Students from underprivileged sections can pursue their study of percussion art here without any compulsion to deposit a designated fee.
Women who trained to perform the first all-women Panchavadyam ensemble were also trained for free, a gesture deeply aware of the patriarchal financial derpivation that rural women still face.
The most celebrated achievement of Sopanam School came in March 2026 with Matrika, the world's first full-fledged all-women Panchavadyam ensemble which debuted, featuring seventy-five female percussionists. The performance broke long-standing gender barriers in a traditionally male-dominated art form and was recognized by both the World Records Book of India and the Asia Book of Records.
Temple percussion performances are part of the worship in Hindu temples of Kerala and are organised during the summer season when the harvest is done and the rural economy is comparatively prosperous from the proceeds of the same. Santhosh Ashaan would put everything he earns from his art into building the school facilities and his friends and well-wishers also would contribute money to the cause as they were convinced of the genuinity and selfless dedication that drove his efforts. In 2025 November, the school building was inaugurated though on the back of a huge debt of several lakhs. This long-dreamt of infrastructure allowed the school to open a creative new chapter in its evolution. The 'Kalari' (Sabha Mandapam) of the school is an open auditorium that alternates as classroom as well as a venue for regular art performances. During the rainy season, senior students utilise this space for early morning practice sessions, which are crucial to perfecting their skills.
Key Initiatives of Sopanam School
Panayasan Govindankutty Nair Smaraka Gurupranamam Award
In honor of the late Panayasan Govindankutty Nair, who was a master performer of the vanishing ritual art form, 'Pallippana', and a winner of Kerala Folklore Academy Fellowship, Sopanam trust presents the "Gurupranamam" lifetime achievement award to veteran folk and ritual artists, particularly those from disadvantaged social backgrounds. Recipients include well-known artists like Kunjhan Kandanakam (2018), Kothara Narayanan Nair (2019), Anthyalamkulam Chandran Velichappadu (2019), Kadavallur Velayudhan (2020), Alamkode Raman Nair (2020), Keshavan Thrikkanapuram (2023), Ramakrishnan Alankode (2023), and Sethu Edappal (2023). In 2026, the artists selected for this award are Timila maestro Mayannur Mani, Maddalam artist Kavukkode Sundaran Nair, and Pallippaana artist Valsalan Padinjarangadi, who is a unique performer, both deaf and mute, yet a skillful performer who matches his movements to the rhythm of the percussion instruments through sight alone.
Musical Trail and Drum Circle
To engage the public, Sopanam introduced "Musical Trail," a demonstrative program introducing individual instruments, and "Drum Circle," a participatory rhythm session designed for stress relief and community building. These programs are frequently held at schools, colleges, clubs, and for tourists.
Research and Documentation
In 2025, the trust released a 3-volume, significant historiographical work titled Kerala’s Percussion Heritage - Thakkitta. This expansive publication chronicles the legacy of more than 13,000 percussionists, offering a detailed documentation of practitioners across the preceding four hundred years.
Art and Culture Reference Library
A specialized library focusing on art and culture is currently being established. Through recent public campaigns, the trust has already curated a collection of approximately 700 books.
Monthly Art Performances
Each month during the final week, the Sopanam School utilises its Sabhamandapam in Kandanakam to present distinctive art performances. These events provide a vital platform for exceptional yet under-recognized art forms and performers to gain visibility. Simultaneously, the initiative serves the community by offering the public a dedicated space to experience and value these cultural treasures.
State Percussion Festivals
To date, Sopanam School has hosted two significant percussion festivals known as Sopanam Vadyolsavam. These multi-day events showcase a wide array of Kerala's traditional percussion arts. The Government of India's Cultural Ministry provided financial backing for the second edition of the festival. Currently, a request for a festival grant has been submitted to the Ministry, with Sopanam Vadyolsavam 3 anticipated to take place around September or October 2026.
Video Documentation of Kerala’s Traditional Arts Sector
An ongoing documentation project by Sopanam School focuses on Kerala's traditional artists, particularly those involved in vanishing art forms or those hindered by socio-economic challenges.
Sopanam Sangeetham Gender Initiative
Sopanam School has educated numerous women in Sopana Sangeetham, another art form from Kerala that continues to be dominated by men. This effort gained attention and was featured in national newspapers.
Santhosh Alankode's daring and awe-inspiring journey in the realm of art continues to establish new connections between percussion art and communities. His distinctive approach to using art as a means to unite people has proven successful, turning Sopanam School into a hub of innovation and creativity, inviting all who enter to become part of this artistic community.
The boy who cried alone in the rundown outer sanctums of temples for countless sleepless nights, suffering from the pain of his percussion training, now understands that all he endured was worthwhile as his reputation as a teacher and leader in the arts soars. Sopanam School of Panchavadyam revitalizes traditional percussion forms, drawing both young and old to become its students.
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