Aana Kallan

Who ruffles feathers and gets excited when the dark clouds gather rain?

Who is he that plays the flute when the skies swell and threaten to burst? If you will, whoever you are, always remember that vanity is futile
So go take a hike

Sailing out in the stormy seas, there are only a few that brave the elements

But who joins the lowly fisherman to cast his net? And who joins me when reeds are chopped to build a nest? Who gets to share the nectar filled up in a bamboo shoot? When grains are ready, swaying in the fields, who would be my sickle to harvest it? 

Come along

Let’s watch tribals dance, let’s join in their rhythm and song

Bravely walk across to a place where wild beasts roam to watch a kingfisher perched on the horns of an antelope

Come hike the jungle-path

Let’s build a tree house hidden from the world and sing and dance behind creeper curtains…`


Nada Nada

In the backdrop of dark clouds threatening to burst into rain, the idol of the Goddess arrives on a caparisoned tusker. The skies rumble ~ “Thimi thimi takkam thei thei” ~ for she who is worshiped in the Malayalam month of Karkidaga (during monsoon time between mid-July and mid-August). Ladles of rainwater pour down into the temple courtyard and the sky lights up in the colours of the rainbow. The dance of the peacock reminds one of locks of hair set free…the clouds fill-up, dissolve, drip and float away.

Karukara

Njan Aara (who am I?) is a song about ones identity, in this case, while introspecting matters of the heart. In the rhythmic beating of the heart one understands hidden thoughts. When one’s dreams are warmed by love, the mind wishes to awake to all things new. Old thoughts are burnt away like senescent leaves as a fire spreads rapidly through one’s senses.

Keep the flame burning. Even when there is no hope and dark thoughts threaten to loom and build a fortress around the mind, even if sunshine is but a distant memory; know yourself and you will be able to find a way to accept a crown of thorns and swim tirelessly in troubled waters.


Njan Aara

All that is done in moderation retains worth, but should it be in excess, chances are its essence would become distorted. Who has known of a farmer wasting seeds? But at times the seed of greed forms deep roots. However, nature has a lesson for each one of us. Even a glowworm is aware of the fact that all that glitters is not gold. 
Traditions have been lost; the village fields have paved the way for the city and the village well would dry providing for those beyond its means. Gone are the days when a boatman serenaded his beloved with unsung songs about the river, eager lovers hum movie songs these days.
The grass appears greener on the other side and people are quick to be entrapped in words of charm. And then there are some who believe in a cause but are never motivated enough to make a change.


Arikuruka

Chekele describes the plight of an agrarian couple Chathan and Neeli.

The farmer and his wife awoke before dawn and arrived at the thambran’s (landlord) house to mark their attendance before working the fields. At the paddy field, they find the crop destroyed due to flooding. Chathan, worried about his next meal, wonders if he could get a simple porridge at dusk. “Madathilendunde kachikudikkan aiye Andekadi ke daathi” (is there anything at home that can be boiled and drunk for dinner, my dear? He asks). A failed crop, is a failed year…when the harvest festival of Kerala ~ Onam ~ comes, this year, the couple will be unable to participate in the ritual of giving handsel, a token gift of food and grains to the landlord.

The farmer’s predicament takes him and his wife into the forest for sustenance. The last-remaining sweet-tasting food they brought along for the journey has attracted ants and the cane basket that they carried their belongings in has come undone…

But despite being unlucky, the journey into the forest gives the couple a chance to be alone; never losing sight of each other they climb many hills, hastily.


Chekele

Who mucked up the system and more importantly why are we paying for the sins of our forefathers? The price of an elephant is what it takes to light up a village but sometimes even for the price of two; one cannot light up a home. Such is the irony of life, even as news ceases to make sense. Turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper only to learn that two minarets crushed a housefly or that a woman in Kochi began to sprout a mustache, talk about making a mockery on an individual’s intelligence! And then there is the Kaliyuga that is blamed for unusual happenings. Nobody really questions why?

Aranda

The title of the song has been taken from a reference on 'Raising of Kundalini' through Yoga. Here, however, it simply means attaining higher knowledge ~ learning to live amicably with nature.

The forests have disappeared and time has come to a close for people who live there. The once nectar-filled beehives are dry and tribal women in their prime have been deflowered. Why do people fail to see the signs of desertification? For it is apparent in the fall of a mighty elephant or the wail of a deer. Look! The tusks are now part of someone’s treasure and the lake-facing plot of land is home to the rich, as the tale is spun somewhat differently in the real world.


Aadu Pambe

Sometimes one relates to happiness in brief illusory moments but the search for bliss is never ending…

The twinkling stars flicker ~ little oil lamps in the sky that I see from the ground below. The blue-gray sky, the wind, it speaks to me again and all seems clear
I trudge across hills hoping to reach someplace
I look back only to realise that I am back to where I began

Like a beach looking for a wave
My search has taken me across oceans deep and wide
The night has fallen and the tide has risen
Now the seashore is enveloped in a warm embrace

Waves crash the shore like pounding arteries in my head
It’s daybreak again and along with sunrise comes a renewed hope that all is within reach…

The slippery fish can be caught
The elusive dear can be trapped
The repositories of ancient trees can be traversed
And the oceans can be crossed

Across hills and vales the horizon is but only a mirage begging to make sense…


Ettam Pattu

True to their name, Avial (a mixed-vegetable delicacy) blends Malayalam Poetry with Contemporary Alternative Rock Music.

With elements of Indie Rock and Folk Music underlying an electronic feel, Avial’s music has overcome language barriers not only in India but is also drawing fans across the sub-continent and the globe. It has an increasing fan following, with a revolutionary approach in today’s
contemporary music scene in India.

The band members come from an in-depth musical background, with a diverse exposure of working with different bands before they could come together. In search of something more intrinsic, with a sense of belonging, Avial discovered and articulated the expression in their own mother tongue, dared to express their music with their self-titled debut album.

Fetching a great name for them selves, Avial is one of the most sought after Indian bands today, transcending genres, justifying the term “Alternative Malayalam Rock”

Avial

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