The Archival and Research Project or ARPO is an independent not-for-profit organization that shares stories of Kerala’s cultural and historical heritage. Their aim is to connect Malayali youngsters to their roots and give them an opportunity to understand the Kerala that was left behind. As part of their curated experiences, they have organised the ARPO Earthlore Music Fest to spread tribal music from remote parts of Kerala. The tribal music programme will be held in Kochi on May 28 at David Hall and on May 29 at Bolgatty Palace.
ARPO Earthlore Tribal music workshop
Speakers from the Kattunaykkar tribe and the Irular tribe will host talks about music, language, and the culture of their people. This workshop is mainly about giving a stage to the unexplored communities of Kerala so that people become more aware of them.
Sruthin Lal, the Secretary of ARPO shared, “We wanted to host an interactive workshop where people can understand the indigenous knowledge of the Irular and Kattunayakar communities. Both of these communities are different culturally. In fact, the musical instruments, rhythms, and tones they use are also unique in themselves. They use natural materials from the forest to make their instruments like Dhavilu, Porey, Jodimara, Dampatta, Gajje, Chilanga, etc. We have people from the communities, music industry, and various artists be a part of the discussion. It’s going to be a fun, interactive, knowledge sharing session.
Timing and Location: 3 PM on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at David Hall, Fort Kochi
Price: INR 200
ARPO Earthlore Public concert
The ARPO Earthlore Public Concert will see the presence of musicians of the Kattunaykkar tribe led by Ramesh JB. They belong to the forest areas of the Wayanad-Kodagu border. Nanjiyamma will be leading the musicians from the Irular tribe who belong to Agaly in Attappadi. Many of us know Nanjiyamma for lending her voice to many songs in Sachy’s Ayyappanum Koshiyum. She also wrote the lyrics of the title song in her native Irula language. M Raghu and Swaminathan are also among the other artists performing.
The musicians will be joined by Charu Hariharan, who is a multi-percussionist, vocalist, and music producer and Sreekanth Hariharan, a well-known playback singer. Majeesh Karayad, too, will be performing with them.
Sruthin Lal shared, “We originally wanted to archive folk music of Kerala. Each tribal community has their own music and thallam for every single event in their life, be it for a wedding or a funeral. It’s this unique diversity we wanted to capture and share with the world. With the support of Kerala Tourism and Experion Technologies, our team decided to take this process a step ahead by creating a music fest that would reach youngsters. All the events that will take place in this fest will be archived.
Timing and Location: 6 PM on Sunday, May 28, 2022, at KTDC Bolgatty Palace, Kochi
Price: INR 200
The ARPO Earthlore Music Fest is a social impact project that aims to bring today’s youngsters together to celebrate Kerala’s roots. It’s a one-of-a-kind festival that is going to make waves. This is why we think you all should attend this festival.
You can attend the workshop and concert for INR 300. The entry is free for school and college-going students. You just have to show your ID card and register. The funds received will be used to benefit the tribal communities.
