When Hanumankind Brought Chenda to Coachella

Before he arrived, the only sounds you could hear were cymbals clashing and the pulsating, infectious rhythm of drums. The beat thundered faster and stronger. For many, these sounds were familiar, the very same you’d hear at a puja. Yet, they weren’t coming from a temple but a stage at Coachella, the famed annual music festival in the California desert.

When Sooraj Cherukat, known as Hanumankind, first took to the Coachella stage on April 12, he took a moment to pause before performing “Run It Up” — to explain just why those opening drum beats were so important. “Make some noise for my chenda boys,” he said, gesturing to the sea of players dressed in white. “What we have here are some traditional drums from South India, from Kerala specifically.” Those same drums appeared in his music video for the chart-topping song, which had debuted only weeks before. But how did a centuries-old temple drumbeat become one of this year’s most recognized sounds?