On a November evening, at the Nisarga Art Hub in Angamaly, Kerala, when a group of indigenous musicians from Wayanad and Coorg sang about the forest, about the struggles of the people, in their mother tongue, the audience joined in, clapping and tapping their feet. That day, the newly formed Earthlore band made its debut on stage.
The band comprises 12 members of the Jenu Kuruba tribe from Wayanad in Kerala and the Coorg region of Karnataka, six from the Paniya tribe and one member from the Kurichiya tribe. Part of the flagship program of the non-profit Archival and Research Project (ARPO), Earthlore Bands is the result of a one-year fellowship. Funded by the Tata Trusts, the fellowship was announced last year to create and professionally train a group of indigenous musicians.
From over 70 applications, 18 young musicians were selected by a panel that included members of tribal communities. “We work closely with marginalized and underrepresented artists to keep regional art forms alive, protect traditions and create space for them to flourish. The Arpo Earthlore Fellowship is an example of this approach in action. It reflects our commitment to inclusive cultural empowerment,” says Paroma Sadhana, Program Manager, Arts and Culture, Tata Trusts. To make it an inclusive programme, two slots were kept open for members of non-tribal communities – filled by instrument maker and handpan artist Parvinder Singh, and keyboard player and composer Rishabh of AR Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory. The fellowship provided a stipend of ₹15,000 per month.
Preserving artistic heritage
The Jenu Kuruba, or honey gatherers, also known as Kattunayakar in Kerala, are a reclusive forest-dwelling community, recognized as a particularly vulnerable tribal group, with deep roots in music and rhythm. Living on the Kerala-Karnataka border, their dialect is a mix of Kannada and Tamil. “The Jenu Kuruba are a largely neglected group, struggling with poverty, displacement and the resulting loss of cultural heritage,” says Arpo co-founder Shrutin Lal. “Some tribal artists like Ramesh JB are reviving the music of the Jenu Kurubas and creating songs in their dialect, with the aim of helping young people of the tribe re-acquaint themselves with their heritage.”
Tribal musician Bala with Jenu Kuruba musical instruments कै गज्जे And tomorrow gajje From Arpo’s first documentation project.
Last year, Arpo had facilitated some senior artists from the community, including Ramesh, to participate in the second edition of the Mahindra Percussion Festival in Bengaluru. It was there, says Lal, that the idea of a fellowship for young tribal artists was born.
voices from the margins
Although many of these youth have been actively involved in singing and are part of musical groups within the community, only a few can showcase their talents in front of large, diverse audiences. “They were extremely keen to do mainstream songs,” says Lal. ‘Why should our music be limited to traditional songs?’ They will ask.”
That the youth had to travel for hours by buses, in continuous rain, from their homes in different parts of Wayanad to the training center in Mananthavady town, to be able to learn and perform, was inspiring, says Charu Hariharan, a percussionist, singer and composer and one of the mentors of the fellowship. The others were playback singer Srikanth Hariharan, Mumbai-based composer and percussionist Vivek Rajagopalan and Bengaluru-based folk-rock musician Vasu Dixit.
Percussionist, singer, composer and guide Charu Hariharan in a training session with peers. , Photo Credit: Courtesy Arpo
Guru-composer Charu Hariharan (left) on stage. , Photo Credit: Courtesy Arpo
Charu, who co-designed the program curriculum, says, “We left the design of the program to the tribal artists. They know their music best. We made suggestions and introduced them to some instruments like the Konakol. The words they write and the songs they sing are powerful and rich in meaning.” Mentors familiarized the companions with the technical aspects of performance and advised them on “how to overcome” and “how to correct” vocal strain. Shruti and speed”
Musician, percussionist and guru Vivek Rajagopalan. , Photo Credit: Courtesy Arpo
The young musicians created a repertoire of 10 songs, which included a bit of story, dramatic elements and rap. Ajitlal Shivlal, theater practitioner and founder of the Space of Act theater collective, helped choreograph the performance movements. A mixture of indigenous drums were used, such as the thudi (used by the Paniya tribe), the kotadhatta, a type of drum made of bamboo, and the gajje, the payal worn by the Jenu Kurubas, the djembe, and plastic drums used by tribal youth.
Ajitlal Shivlal (left, in floral shirt), theater practitioner and founder of Space of Act Theater Collective, in a choreography session with colleagues.
The fellowship provided training in IPR (Intellectual Property Rights), POSH (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace), languages and music production. [Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal]) Act, and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Such programmes, says Lal, “can make a big difference” and hone tribal youth’s “potential to become cultural leaders”.
Tones of resistance and homecoming
Shiney M., a 35-year-old band member from Chembakmula in Mananthavady and an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker, says, “The Jenu Kurubas are generally a shy group; education is still a problem and our land has been taken away from us. The forest was our home and farming was our profession. Our ancestors grew up ragimaize and rice among other things. But today we are landless and forced to become daily wage labourers. I now live in a small house among many other houses.
Band member Shiny M., 35, from the Jenu Kuruba tribe, is an ASHA worker from Chembakamulla, Mananthavady. , Photo Credit: Courtesy ARPO
Many of his songs are deeply political, talking about forests, nature, discrimination and colorism. “Our music is inextricably linked to the land of our ancestors. We are children of the forest,” she adds. Suraj S, 24, who is pursuing B.Com at St. Mary’s College, Mananthavady, says, “People may not understand our language, but they will understand the emotions.”
A talented singer, Suraga has participated in many festivals and events like Gothrathalam, organized to preserve tribal art forms in Kerala. His own group, Thidambu Gothra Kala Sangham Group, gives platform to tribal musicians. “I’ve been a part of ganamelus too, which is completely focused on film songs, but I like to sing naive pattu (folklore) the most; I love the way the notes rise and fall.” ”We see it (the fellowship) as a great opportunity to sing about our lives, our realities,” says Shiney, who dreams of returning to the jungle someday.
Earthlore Band will next perform in Bengaluru on December 21 at Courtyard Koota and on December 23 at Sabha.