K V Pranav, a 23-year-old native of Mattool in Kannur and his team were performing shinkarimelam at the entrance of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat when an unexpected moment unfolded on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting the temple, walked up to the young chenda artist, smiled, took the chenda kol (stick) from him and played the instrument for nearly 20 seconds.

Pranav, momentarily stunned, froze before smiling back as the Prime Minister enthusiastically beat the chenda. High-security personnel stood guard around Modi while a large crowd of devotees cheered from behind. After greeting other performers nearby, the PM moved on. “We didn’t even know the Prime Minister was attending the event. It was just another temple performance for us. Everything changed in less than 30 seconds,” Pranav recalled.

Pranav is the son of P Pradeepan, CPM local committee secretary of Mattool. The video of Modi playing Pranav’s chenda—shared by the PM himself on YouTube and later by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s official national social media handles—has garnered thousands of views, with congratulatory messages pouring in from across the country.

Pranav has been learning percussion for the past ten years. He travelled to Gir in Gujarat as part of a Shinkarimelam team from Cheruvathur in Kasaragod to perform at the Somnath Temple on January 11. The group was brought to Gujarat by a Kozhikode-based agency.

“I was part of a 16-member shinkarimelam team—five men and 11 women. Except for me and my friend Arun, all others were from Kasaragod. The Kerala contingent also included Pulikali and Kavadi teams from Thrissur,” Pranav told Onmanorama.

The performance was part of the ‘Shaurya Yatra’, a ceremonial procession organised to honour those who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. The team reached Gujarat on January 10. “Until the morning of the programme, we had no idea the Prime Minister would attend. Even when the coordinator hinted at a possibility, we didn’t expect to see him,” he said.

Security arrangements at the temple were tight, with multiple performances scheduled across the sprawling complex. “Our Kerala team was the only one allowed to perform at the temple entrance. Others were stationed outside. The public was also restricted by barricades behind us,” Pranav said. Though they knew the Prime Minister had arrived and entered the temple from another side, they could not see him.

After completing the rituals inside the temple, Modi emerged, greeted the gathering and acknowledged the Kavadi performers first before walking through the line of artists. “He suddenly came straight towards me. I was playing the chenda when he took the sticks from my hand and started playing,” Pranav said.

Still overwhelmed by the experience, Pranav recalled that Modi spoke to him briefly in Hindi, which he could not understand due to the noise of instruments and the cheering crowd. “I don't know Hindi as well. I was shocked. I just stood there smiling. This is the first time I have seen such an important national leader up close,” said Pranav, an ITI graduate. The performance concluded at 11.45 am.

Pranav is currently a member of the Vadakkans Kalasamithi Shinkarimelam band in Kannur and also performs with other local groups. He has played at temples, churches, private functions and inaugurations across Kerala and outside the state, including in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

“Everyone back home is extremely happy and surprised, just like me. None of us knew the Prime Minister would be part of the event,” he said. Pranav’s mother, Suma, works as a temporary employee at a nearby private bank, while his elder sister, Swathi, is preparing for bank examinations.