When the 61-year-old Attappadi native Nanchamma sang these lines as the title track for Ayyappanum Koshiyum, she had no clue it would bring her and her Irular tribe national adulation. Being declared the best playback singer at the 68th National Film Awards was beyond fathoming, she says. And beyond the individual achievement was the mainstream recognition for ethnic music.
Kerala’s tinsel town has never shied away from encouraging folk music. Who can forget Kalabhavan Mani? However, of late, a renewed energy in going back to the roots is palpable. And that’s music to all ears. Popularity of the song Pala palli in Kaduva is a healthy indicator. Sung by Malappuram-based folk musician Athul Narukara, 25, the track has garnered over 1.3 crore hits on YouTube.
Embracing the roots
Ethnic music of tribal communities carries the soul of Mother Earth, believes music director Jakes Bejoy, known for films including Kalki, Ayyappanum Koshiyum and Kaduva. Folk melodies, he adds, have a unique charm that attracts all kinds of audiences — from the common man to connoisseurs.
“I have always loved folk music, as it has a special emotive power to sway the audience. Also, it is a joy to restore or promote the land’s age-old music culture.” Elaborating on the trending Pala palli track, Jakes says it was a blend of “original folk and some cinematic elements” to pep it up. “It is a Pulaya community death ritual vayipattu,” he adds. “We took reference from veteran folk artist ‘Pattupura’ Nanu and tweaked it, with permission.”
Jakes has composed a folk music track for his next film, Kumari, too. “I have used Panan paattu tunes and instruments such as pullorkudam (a string instrument used by Pulluva community), maram, thudi, udukku (percussion instruments), etc,” he says. Jakes adds he would soon launch a music album featuring 10 folk artists from across Kerala.
The ‘Pala palli’ guy
Singer Athul Narukkara has emerged as a star with the Pala palli track. Notably, it was ace cinematographer and director Santhosh Sivan who gave him a break, after listening to songs by his band, Soul of Folk, on social media. “He introduced me to Jakes,” says Athul. National recognition for artists such as Nanchamma is, in effect, “documentation of ethnic talents in Indian cinema history”, he adds.
“It is a big boost for folk artists, who breathe music,” beams Athul. “Being a youngster from a rural village, Narukara in Malappuram, my song’s popularity may also motivate others not to give up their traditional music.” Ayyappanum Koshiyum was a turning point, believes Athul. “After that film, folk music is considered a ‘hit factor’ in the industry,” he says.
“We learned these songs from our forefathers, and it is heartening to see the present generation giving it a thumbs-up. It’s preservation in process. I wish we would get more venues.”
‘Preserve purity’
There is a misconception that ‘purists’ or classical music lovers do not appreciate folk music. Carnatic vocalist and composer Kavalam Sreekumar demolishes that notion. His father, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, was known for exploring folk traditions and incorporating them in art forms, especially theatre. “It is important to go back to our roots,” he says.
“I am glad that Malayalam films are taking an ethnic detour. However, sometimes, folk songs lose their raw charm due to commercialisation.” Nanchamma’s song, he highlights, preserved the “purity of ethnic music” even though the film was a commercial one.
“So being a musician who loves to stick to the roots, such experiments are welcome,” he says. “I believe the song wouldn’t have been as alluring if it had been rendered by anyone other than Nanchamma.”
‘Don’t change lyrics’
Popular folk musician ‘Pranavam’ Sasi says he is “proud” to see ethnic experiments in Malayalam cinema. “The beauty of folk music lies in the raw diction and pronunciation,” adds the veteran artist ailing from a tribal community in Palakkad.
Sasi has been a proponent of folk culture and music for 30 years. The grade-B All India Radio artist has rendered some folk songs in recent Malayalam films, including Kannamma in Shane Nigam’s Veyil.
“In music, the instrumentation may be done with western tunes. But, I am against changing lyrics, as the charm of folk culture lies in those words.” Sasi, however, is not rigid about fusion experiments. “Our forefathers used leaves to cover themselves. Should we do the same?”
‘Jinjakkam tharo’
Veteran music critic Ravi Menon sounds a bit pessimistic on how long the charm of ‘modern’ folk tracks would last. ‘Real’ folk music is minimal in Malayalam films, he believes. Raghavan Master introduced folk music through soundtracks in films, starting from Neelakuyil (1954), he says.
“The film had seven or eight songs, including Jinjakkam tharo, which was lauded by Salil Chowdhury,” says Ravi. “The song Ellarum chollanu and Kayal arikathu valaerinjapo are still cherished by the present generation. I doubt the present folk film songs would be hummed after a few years.”
Ravi says, earlier, music directors “cleverly wove” folk elements even with classical notes, creating beautiful tracks. “I don’t see such creativity these days,” he adds. However, the veteran critic is all praise for new-gen experiments. “It’s nice to see talents like Nanchamma being promoted via films,” he says.
Lore of the land
A collective of young media professionals and academicians in Kerala has been exploring and
preserving musical elements of indigenous communities. The Archival and Research Project
(ARPO) is a unique initiative that focuses Kerala history, culture, and folklore. As part of the
project, the team has been clubbing multimedia storytelling and digital archiving under the title
‘Earthlore’. A music archival event held in Kochi recently brought together indigenous musicians
of Kerala, and young national and international musicians. In its first edition, the ARPO event
featured Kattunaikkar (Wayanad) and Irula (Attappadi) tribes for a unique musical rhapsody. “Take the Pala palli song. It is originally a death song of the Pulaya community. The Kaduva song has brought to the forefront the unexplored artforms of the community,” says ARPO secretary Sruthin Lal. “Our initiative is to explore and preserve such diverse culture and art.”