Q) What is the inspiration behind the creation of ARPO?
A) Basically, we started with the idea of preserving and promoting our diverse culture but then there had to be a genuine starting point so those historically neglected like the tribal culture caught our attention. There was also this thing about folk culture which again is mostly dominated by the marginalized and Dalit communities. Earthlore began with 2 components documentation and capacity building, we began with documentation
Q) It must have been an effort to get the documentation done in a proper manner?
A) After ARPO I met a folk practitioner. We visited several travel communities in Kerala each different from the other. I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer magnitude of the whole exercise and that’s when we decided that every year, we will take up 2 communities to work with. The documentation, we felt, would happen from their point of view because it would include their culture traditions, their sounds and rituals etc. It is a team of researchers and documentary makers spending an entire year with these 2 communities. This is our third year and we began with 2 communities the Irrular and Katanaika communities and the Mannan and Palair community in the 2nd year. The Manna still follow a king and minister system. This year, we are working with the Pania and Ravula community-based in Wayyanad
Q) How can anybody access this information that you’re gathering with so much effort
A) It is readily available on our website and social media platforms on the creative common license
Q) What is the inspiration that has set off this interest in you?
A) I wanted to work in culture as a journalist. I came back to Kerala post-COVID, which is, when the idea of ARPO emerged. Most organizations are into classical or the usual subjects and have received proper patronage but this was a sector that needed attention. Whatever study was happening in this area was toward helping the researchers and PhD students. The communities themselves do not gain any traction or other benefits. I must say that we have a good feedback from the communities who tell us that we are the first people to come back to them with the videos we shoot about them. This gap needed to be filled and we are doing that to the best of our ability.
Q) How has the effort changed and grown over time?
A) Though we started organically with documentation, we have arrived at capacity building. The fellowship program with the support of the Tata trust has been about training 20 musicians every year from different regions at a level at par with the best music schools.
Q) How is the program executed?
A) Top trainers from across India, visit them. They’re paid a stipend for 6 months with proper classroom training especially in singing. Though good at their own music they need a different skill set at the international level. Music apart, they also need inputs in proper communication, awareness about their legal and constitutional rights. This part of the program began last year.
Q) Can you describe a typical field day in this method of operation?
A) My team has expanded over the last 2 years. I’m now focusing more on expansion of the organization. Recordings call for proper people management & sensitivity attained through relationship building and addressing their needs. The idea is to make the collaboration respectful which is key even when we are recording. Constant disturbances with insects like crickets make it doubly difficult for sound engineers during a live recording. Our sound engineer Vishnu Nambodari does a great job in places like valleys where we often face stubborn disturbances like wind.
Q) There must be a lot of post- production work involved after the recording?
A) We are aiming for a high-quality archive and want to bring out everything in the best possible manner. Arriving at the most appealing sound and video quality by working on instruments, voices, noises and the visuals involve creative effort.
Q) What are some of the other projects you’re working on?
A) There is another project where we engage communities to record vanishing folklore. This is inclusive of tribal and other communities. We encourage people to record any kind of folklore, even family heritage by choosing a noiseless place and recording with a basic mobile phone. We call these projects as metadata and have by now collected over 2000 folk tales.
Q) Where do you make this available for the audience?
A) It is available online on our YouTube channel ARPO. About 1400 of these are already live and are available for researchers and other genuinely interested folks. There are songs the community does not want to be made available to the public for various reasons, but researchers can work on them.
Q) How do you plan to give the tribal communities the right kind of exposure when it comes to music?
A) We surely prefer recording them in their national environment, but also record in studios when needed. It is just that they are used to living in a particular way and space. Most of them are quite like us and are extremely talented when it comes to singing or rhythm patterns or knowledge of songwriting. The speed at which they grasped music surprised the trainers. They could actually learn in months what others would take years to imbibe.
Q) You must have also come across various new instruments in your association with the tribals?
A) There are some very good instruments that we came across. They may not be very complicated in construct but are certainly unique calling for complex knowledge to play. There is this instrument, actually a pipe, called Chiny, which requires a short circular breathing technique to play. We call it the Teeny Coral and most tribal communities use it.
Q) Any particular community that comes to mind as being skilled at music?
A) There is this Jenu Kurba community that uses deer skin for creating a base kind of sound for their music. Since the prohibition to use deer skin , they now use a water barrel, which they also bring for their concerts.
Q) How encouraging is the response of the youth in these tribal communities about taking up their heritage in music and other cultural aspects?
A) Earlier there was a noticeable reluctance to promote their culture as the youth was absorbed in all the modern distractions that come with the digital age. There was the Kartanika community leader Ramesh who was mentioning this. Thankfully, that changed after we came into the picture and professional musicians like Charu Hariharan spotted their inherent talent and offered opportunities at events like the Mahindra Percussion Festival. They realized the potential their music had and demanded musical training that resulted in the Tata Trust fellowship program. I think the tribal youth should be made aware of the richness of their culture and things will definitely move in the right direction.
Q) How do you want the world to acknowledge and recognize tribal music and culture?
A) An openness is needed to accept the fact that there is abundant talent available in these communities. Kerala has produced Nanji Yamma who won the national award for playback singing. It is important that they are looked on as equals in terms of musical talent to bring the best in them.
Q) What about the bands that are using folk music?
A) Many folk songs are performed by leading bands today without crediting the original creators, which is a serious disservice. At present, their work is often exploited. Many of the musicians I work with have even sung in films but received little to no compensation. Their original compositions are used freely, without acknowledgment or credit. The communities also lack proper systems to document and preserve their work. These communities need to build financial strength through fair practices. Awareness of intellectual property remains very low, and exploitative contracts are common. This is where organizations like IPRS can play a crucial role in supporting and protecting their rights.
Q) How about global exposure for these communities in terms of their work
A) I think they should be allowed to decide about what they want the world to see and hear about them. Even the classical art forms today are diluted. Hardly anything is in the original format. Adaptability is important, but the community has to be kept in the loop about them
Q) How has the digital era influenced the tribal music and culture scenario?
A) It is a good thing because youngsters from the community realize that their work is being watched by millions. It also has given them the exposure to world music. And a good benchmark to adapt and improvise their music. Getting a economically viable platform to let the world listen to your music is a boon.
Q) You have worked with a number of talented communities. What do you attribute your success to?
A) Desire to work is important as is resource mobilization. We’ve also acquired timely support from the government earlier, Foundations, private companies and CSR activities have been our chief support system. The fact that we have survived also mirrors the fact that we have done quite a few things right. Socio-political awareness and the way we build relationships and support the communities helps us bond with them. We can do better with community based intellectual property rights and community led archives. A mechanism to collect the emoluments that are made out of tribal songs would be a good beginning. Approaching the communities will also help.
Q) What are your immediate goals as an organization?
A) We want to scale our organization and further develop it with models that can be replicated by others. We are looking to develop cultural leaders who can take the community culture to the masses. It is heartening to note that many organizations consider their association with ARPO as a feather in their cap.
Q) You are big on cultural heritage; can you tell us what is the essence of cultural heritage for you?
A) Cultural heritage is not what you find in a museum. For us it is a living thing. Heritage is about people having an agency over their own narratives. What to take and leave, how to build on the narrative; these should be the main criteria. For me, culture is a memory in motion.
Vibhav Narasimha Rao