Kannur woman treks hills to treasure age-old folk songs, makes waves with peppy performances

When the Maharaja’s College folk song team burst into a peppy number at the MG University Kalolsavam in Thiruvalla last week, the audience could barely stay seated. With infectious beats, powerful vocals and the pulsating rhythm of mathalam, urumi, dampatta, koyil, and jalra, the performance quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the festival, eventually winning the team first prize.

But what truly set the act apart was its origin: the song was not a popular folk number picked from the internet, but one learned directly from the Muthuvan tribal community in Kerala’s hills.

Instead of choosing a familiar number from online platforms, the team’s trainer and folk singer Anjana Raveendran travelled to tribal settlements to learn the song first-hand before bringing it to the Kalolsavam stage. Clad in bright yellow, white and green in the traditional style associated with the Muthuvan tribe, the eight-member Maharaja's team transformed the stage into a vibrant celebration of tribal music.

“We connected with members of the Muthuvan tribe through friends. We stayed with the community for three days and learned the songs ourselves. Only after that did we teach the song to the students,” Anjana told Onmanorama.

The Muthuvan community lives in significant numbers in parts of the Kothamangalam region of Ernakulam district and in Idamalakkudy in Idukki. Their songs cover a wide range of themes, from praising deities to reflecting agricultural life. The language used in these songs is their own oral tongue, a blend of Malayalam and Tamil that has no written script and is passed down through generations by word of mouth. These songs are also performed during the forest festival known as Chamiyoot.

The Maharaja’s team practised intensively for a week before the performance, determined to clinch the top prize. Their effort paid off. Competing against 64 teams, the Maharaja's group of eight students secured the first prize in the folk song category. The college had even more reason to celebrate, as Maharaja's also won the overall championship at this year’s Kalolsavam.

“It has only been three years since the folk song category was introduced at the MG University Kalolsavam. Maharaja’s has won all three years,” says the 25-year-old, who has been closely associated with the team throughout. In the previous two editions, she participated as a performer, but this year she returned as a coach.

“Earlier, I brought the songs and led the team myself. This time I trained the students. We also had guidance from Rajish Mulavukad.”

For Anjana, the growing popularity of folk music among young audiences is an encouraging sign. “When we performed in the first year, the audience was much smaller. In the second year, it doubled. Now it has increased further. Students are showing much more interest in folk music,” she says.

The singer’s own journey into folk music began long before she stepped onto a stage. Originally from Koothuparamba in Kannur, she grew up surrounded by songs passed down through generations. Her grandmother and mother often sang traditional work songs and harvest songs at home, leaving a deep impression on her.

“Our culture there is closely connected with folk traditions like Theyyam and Thottam songs. That’s how I grew up listening to them,” she recalls. For Anjana, who lost her father at a young age, her mother, an artist who ran her own troupe, was her first teacher.

Though Anjana completed her postgraduation in Carnatic music from Maharaja’s College, her first love remains folk music. She is currently researching ways to document and notate folk songs, many of which exist only in oral tradition.

“Most folk songs are not written down anywhere. They are passed on by word of mouth. I want to document them so that future generations can learn and sing them,” she says.

Alongside research and teaching, performance remains central to her life. Anjana is also part of a nine-member band called Purambok Music, which performs regularly across the state.
“My main passion is performing. I love doing stage shows,” she says. “At the same time, I want to bring the songs of marginalised communities that are slowly disappearing to new audiences.”

If the electrifying reception at the Kalolsavam stage is any indication, those voices from the hills are finding new listeners.