Folk Songs

Music in different folk art forms plays a significant function and acts as the best medium for conveying feelings and emotions. It has been noted that Folk songs, ballads and folklores are more comprehensive and appealing to a common man than the intricate lyrics and notes of illustrious songs. Folk songs are created by common men and thus illustrate the mundane instances of humble daily lives. Thus these songs are more simple and heart-touching. Sometimes these songs have no particular meaning, yet they never lose their popularity because of the melodious rhythm of their verses that are quite pleasing to the ear.

Kerala is very rich in its folk song tradition and has many varying folk songs as there are there are variances in the climate, land, people and their occupations.

The nadanpattu (nadan-native, pattu-songs) of Kerala or Kerala folk songs narrate unrecorded tales of the land and people. These lyrical songs are evoked from the emotions and simple wisdom of agrestic folk. The toiling group of boatmen, peasants and farmers forgets the monotony of their humdrum life by humming these melodious songs.

Thus the song of a boatman goes-

"Dusky girl with long hair,
For you, he has arisen in the east
I shall give you gold and garments
Get ready girl, get ready girl."

Almost every aspect of life and occasions such as childbirth marriage, festivals, the glee of the harvest season, weddings, war, the union of man and woman, mythology and religion and death finds a place in Kerala folksongs. We acquire a better comprehension of Kerala folk and their culture just by listening to the musical folksongs. Mappilapattukal, Pallipattukal, Onapattukal, Mappilapattu, Vilppattu and Vanchipattukal, are some of these native songs of different castes and communities of Kerala. There is a rich collection of Malayalese traditional and folk songs which are sung during the great festival of Onam and these songs are called Onappaattu.

Among other folk songs, the most remarkable are the Northern Ballads (vatakkan paattukal) which gives a detailed description of the valiant feats of the heroes of North Malabar. Also noteworthy are the Southern Ballads (tekkan paattukal).