CHENNAI: Fish, wisp, hope, armour, trap, coral… over the last 21 days, social media platforms across the globe have been flooded with Inktober prompted artworks and discussions on developing positive drawing habits. Here, close to home, the creative endeavour has branched into several smaller initiatives, keeping the Tamil-speaking populace on Twitter humming with activity.
Adding localised flavours to the movement and giving thei r ingenious twist to it, Chennaiites have found new ways to make the prompts more relevant and fun. Lyrinktober, an annual Tamil film lyrics rebus quiz based on Inktober prompts, has also been garnering attention for its take on the challenge. Curated by educator Isai Pallavi*, who wishes to remain anonymous, the quiz has been a recurring event for the past four years. “Four years ago, I saw a few of my former colleagues participate actively in the Inktober challenge. This brought people at our workplace together.
Everyone wanted to see what the other person was sketching and started encouraging one another. I wanted to be part of it too, but I cannot draw to save my life! Instead, I took a post-it note, attempted to sketch a long road, cracked an egg open on it, and placed a placard with the words ‘Dhoddabetta’ – based on the lyrics of the song Dhoddabetta roadu mela mutta parotta. People at work started guessing the song and this generated fun and laughter.
I soon posted it on my Instagram account and was encouraged by a few to turn it into a series. There’s been no looking back ever since!” shares the high school English teacher. After two years of posting the clues for the quiz on her private Instagram account, the educator took the quiz to Twitter. It has since then gained a following of 740-odd people. “Those who were following Lyrinktober but didn’t have an Instagram account requested me to move it to Twitter and I did exactly that.
This initiative has given rise to new connections among the participants, and between me and the participants, too. Likeminded people, who share a common love for Tamil film songs, have also formed small groups, and some have even turned best friends! Many have told me that they look forward to the quiz as it gives them joy amid a mundane routine. So, making a small yet significant difference in the lives of a handful of people makes me happy,” she shares.
The songs are picked daily based on the day’s Inktober prompts. “For instance, if the prompt is dizzy, I could pick a Tamil song that has the word mayakkam or simply a song which represents it. Since it’s a rebus quiz, I pick images that pictorially represent the song or the lyrics, compile it together and post it as a clue for the participants. They have to think of all possible equivalents for the prompt to identify the song,” she explains. For the quizmaster, a self-confessed Kollywood music buff, Lyrinktober has not only helped her relive a slice of her childhood but has also allowed her to kindle feelings of nostalgia among the participants.
“I am an 80s kid and while growing up, I used to buy song booklets for 50 paise and 25 paise. I remember buying these booklets to read the lyrics out loud while the cassette of a specific movie’s album played in the background. Many have sent direct messages about how certain songs have been reminders of events in their life or a person and it’s amazing what music can do,” she tells us, adding that another fun quotient to Lyrinktober has been the discussions on Mondegreens. “Many have gotten back to me about how they had misheard the lyrics of songs for several years and learned the actual lyrics only after being part of Lyrinktober,” she says.
With the participation steadily growing over the past four years, she tells us that her social media account inboxes are most often than not flooded with queries, compliments, and chats about Tamil film music, lyrics and everything in between. “All the answers for the quiz are asked to be sent to my DM (direct message). It’s interesting how some people have built groups over time and get together to figure out the answers for the quiz.
It’s become a community- building exercise of sorts,” she details. Pallavi spends two to three hours a day chalking a plan for the quiz — from identifying songs and lyrics based on the prompts, curating clues, finding relevant visual imageries, and collating them.
“I’ve enjoyed reading all the comments on my timeline — the feedback and suggestions about how people have found the clues interesting, easy, tough and sometimes even mokka! This has made the past four Octobers very special,” she adds.
The quiz will be posted at 8 pm every day and the answer will be shared at 7 pm the following day. For details, visit Twitter page @lyrinktober