Traditions & Communities

CHINNA RASA URUMEE MELUM MASANA KALI

PUSAKA works closely with one of the most exciting and commanding of these groups – Chinna Rasa Urumee Melum Masana Kali. The Chinna Rasa Urumee Melum Masana Kali is made up of 15 vibrant young performers who are experts at stirring the souls of listeners with their impassioned drumming and dynamic interaction with the audience. They are especially noted for their technical and performative brilliance, their openness to experiment and responsiveness to new cultural influences.

URUMEE MELUM

Among the most vibrant and essential of the Indian traditions found in Malaysia is the folk tradition of the Urumee Melum. A double-headed hourglass-shaped drum from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India, the Urumee is widely believed to possess deep sacred power, and is mostly associated with the 'calling of the spirit' associated with trance rituals. In more recent times, Urumee Melum ensembles have begun to proliferate, commensurate with a new awareness of the Indian community's social history in Malaysia; forging a meeting place of working class Indian identity, principally among the youth, creating a vibrant, powerful and independent movement within the broader spectrum of Malaysian-Indian culture.