Rhythm of cultures.

Every community has it's own unique art forms. In India, festivals, birthdays and weddings are never devoid of music.  

I will give you a glimpse of the way music is celebrated amongst the people in my community - Mappilas from the Malabar region of Kerala (southern Indian state)  

The most common and enjoyed music in any Mappila household is the 'Mappila Pattu'. These songs have a unique rhythm, symphony and style. Heavily influenced by the Arab culture, due to trade relations between the Arabs and the merchants of Calicuts during the pre-British and British era, these songs are usually sung in Malayalam (native language) or in Arabi-Malayalam ( Mixture of both the languages with the script written in Arabic). They deal with themes such as religion, love, satire, social issues, folklore, heroism, even anti-colonial struggles and the trend of migrations to the "Gulf" and are often sung at weddings, family get togethers and meetings. Over the years, the Mappila pattu has undergone its own metamorphosis with it being influenced by popular cultures and recent trends, now.  

Oppana -  Where mappila pattu is talked about, oppana has to be mentioned. A dance form performed by the ladies (or bridesmaids) around the bride who is seated on a bridal chair in the centre. The mappila pattu is sung live or played as the group claps, performs simple steps according to the music  and  move around the bride. In short,  the oppana adds to the celebration of the wedding and wishes the couple a lifetime filled with happiness and joy.

Katha prasangam - A mappila version  of the musical where a story  is told with the help of both prose and poetry. It usually talks of inspirational stories, fables of the glorious past and stories of religious significance.  

Daffu muttu - An art form performed to commemorate festivals and for social entertainment with the help of a musical instrument called "Daffu" made of wood. ( Imagine a miniature version of the drum which is open on one side). Around 8-10 boys stand either in U shape or form a complete ciricle with a leader singing songs, the chorus following him and the group drumming on the daffu and playing steps, all in symphony with the song. Similar to the mappila pattu, the daffu muttu talks of Lord's praise, a tribute to heroes or sometimes, addresses issues relevant to the community at present.  

Kolkalli - Similar to the daffu muttu, instead of the daffu, there are two sticks with the dancers, which they strike in unison according to the rhythm of the song. The circle of dancers expands and contracts as the song progresses.  

Music transcends boundaries. Any language or any story, as long as there is a melodious and soulful song to it, our ears are attuned to appreciate them.

( I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 8th – 14th December 2013. This is the fourth post in the 7 day series. The prompt was 'Music' and I was wondering what would I write, since I have stopped listening to most forms of music around 3+ years now and hence really not aware of the current music scene  besides related tweets that come on my Twitter timeline! :D)