Music, songs and poems have been used as tools of resistance. Throughout history, they have helped to raise a voice against oppression, spread strong messages of resistance, and bring communities together.
‘Paattum Parachilum’ — a musical evening of resistance and memory dedicated to social reformer Poykayil Appachan, will take place at Monsoon Culture, Mattancherry, at 5.30pm on March 28. The event is part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale’s collateral programmes.
The evening will feature Poyikayil Appachan’s songs and poems, which formed the core of his deeply political expression. Born into a Dalit family, he was one of the strongest voices against caste oppression in Kerala’s modern history. He founded the Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha (PRDS), paving the way for a radical movement against caste oppression.
The musical performance will be led by Ratheesh Shanthipuram, Unni Ragadhwani and Adithya Rajan Budhanoor, who are part of the PRDS. The performance will be followed by a discussion led by academicians Ajay Sekhar and Vinil Paul.
“His songs were the main aspect of the resistance; they had the power to move you to tears. The event will bring back these songs in their most authentic form,” says Vinil Paul. “An interesting aspect of the performance will be the use of a unique instrument called the ‘Karu and Maram’, which has a strong bass sound. It is an instrument that we don’t usually see anywhere, but this community has used it for ages. They will also use other instruments like the ‘Thakil’.”
Ajay, who has translated Poykayil Appachan’s works into English, speaks about their nature.
“His songs were deeply personal, inspired by his daily struggles as a person born into a marginalised caste. People were not allowed to live with dignity and self-respect, and this formed the spirit of his work. Poykayil’s songs spoke about their liberation and their collective struggle against hegemony and oppression. They are still relevant today.”
Vinil further adds that the songs were about the oppression and injustices meted out by upper caste people from Hindu, Christian and even Muslim communities during Poykayil’s time. “These songs still have relevance today because Kerala is not free of caste and related violence. There are still people who face discrimination,” he says.
According to Vinil, what many people do not realise is that these songs have already entered popular music. “Artists like Vedan and Pushpavathy Poypadathu use these songs, but not in the way that they are structured or meant to be sung,” he says. “These songs have a ‘teaching’ nature to them — one person sings a line and others follow and repeat it.”
The idea is to remind people about Poykayil Appachan’s message and why it is still important in today’s world. An event like this, completely dedicated to Poykayil Appachan, has not been part of the Biennale before.
There have been installations and events where his name or work has been mentioned in passing or drawn from, but none of them has explored it to this extent. Performing it at Monsoon Culture makes it even more special, as they are a collective dedicated to platforming such events,” concludes Vinil.