What is the procedure to change into a Mallu?
Deepak Bhushanam
Artist | Designer | Creative Director | Writer | Marketer | Sales | LAMP Dev
Remember those bouts of sleepless nights? Just imagine yourself in one such night. A dry night of darkness when wine, workout, #webseries or #vipassana - nothing helps to put-off your mind. You then try browsing through Spotify wondering if it can sing you lullabies. Even this doesn't help you to hit snooze. As you roll there in your bed frustrated, you hear a naughty knock on your door. You are startled by the noise & tread hesitantly towards the door. The cold door knob & flickering lights from the peep hole send you chills. But you brave up to see who-tf is it. "Oh, thanks god" sighs your mind as you notice it's the girl next door. Still confused, cautious, you let her in. Of course, romance spices up soon & just then she drops a confession bomb. Your Ms.Next Door turns out to be a folk character - a vampire of sorts. What will you do next? I would say switch the lights off & enjoy this Folk-Horror-Romcom-Rap - Panipaali (One & Two ) by Neeraj Madhav (NJ), to know how this ends.
Yaar trust me, #Malayalam #indiemusic scene is so mind blowing. Don’t trust me? Name a topic & there will be a Mallu music masterpiece.
Yes, I understand music is subjective. The point I want to make is the intent, the environment that nurtures the intent & the medium. Music is dope. Literally. Scientifically. Singing, dancing & listening to music increases Anandamide production. Anandamide helps you learn, focus & puts you in a good mood. Which means, if you use musical mediums like - rap, rock, hip-hop, folk - it becomes easier to convey, grasp & propagate what's on your mind, heart or business plan. And Kerala knows this well. The region has seen the cultural confluence of Tantrism, Shaktism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Communism, Capitalism et al. Inspite of all the isms mentioned, Kerala still upholds & holds dear its folk heritage. The region vibes with so many festivities, holidays & celebrations. All these give Kerala’s music scene a great creative depth & wide diversity that thrives till date because of the artistic intent of its inhabitants.
Whether an individual becomes a society or whether a society builds an individual. Both are interconnected for sure. Almost all my Malayali friends & acquaintances are skilled in some art form or the other. Many are game designers, dancers, singers, actors, chefs in parallel to their day jobs or businesses. Almost all of them are active physically either through sports or fitness activities. It is motivating to see how a Malayali creates leisure in between their professional commitments or confusing problems that life throws. If you are a Malayali reading this, you might say this is not the case always or you may wonder what's so unique in this.
If you are a non-Malayali then don't bias or judge every Keralite you meet based on this article. There are the best & worst of men in all communities. Every culture has its highs & lows. My intent here is not to write you a Part 2 of Din-i Ilahi created by Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was intended to combine the best of all religions in Akbar's times while removing the worst from each. Yes it was a wise intent but dangerous to stupidity. Din-i Ilahi was crushed after Akbar was gone.
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As a marketer I love culture, conversations & commerce. I love the Malayalis because everytime I converse with them I create more, than consume. I create more, than hoard. I feel artistic more, than arrogant. Even when I meet the rich business tycoons from the region, they never boast about dumb hoarding of money or thoughtless drooling over vanities. But they for sure take pride in enterprising to create wealth & not accumulate. "Ah the other side is always greener" some may say. Oh! The Mallus have a rap for this too - Akkarapacha !
It takes an anthropological intent to see if the other side is truly greener or what are its colors. But it takes something more to make art out of these colors. And it takes something even more to encourage such art making & learn from visiting every side that ever exists.
Take for example, it took us a Vasco Da Gama to know the cost of cardamom. Before that we needed a Rome to realise that cost of pepper was in gold & silver. Then we needed the Brits to give us Chai. Today, in our consumption driven economy the price we pay for loneliness has reached crushing heights. Let's not wait for reminders. Let’s look at the greener sides of a culture that encourages cherishing of art forms together with one's professional prowess without arrogance or discrimination. Let's invest & buy from businesses, cultures, people who encourage creation, creative consumption more; than those which solely aims for accumulating, hoarding or destructive-discriminative capitalism.
Whenever i ask my Malayali friends - "What is the procedure to convert into a Mallu?" The answer is always - "Are you crazy or what? Come as you are. You will soon catch the vibes that makes a Mallu"
Enjoy the holidays with the spirit of Kerala - Merry Christmas!!
With all said, I can't wait to read a book on Malayalis by a Malayali! Dear Penguin Publishing Group , please do the needful, if you like. Dear Malayali music lovers, help me make the list extensive. Feel free to comment the songs you feel needs to be here. Dear Kerala Startup Mission , how do you think Kerala can be the nation's #creatoreconomy capital?
Disclaimer: No, this article was not sponsored by Kerala Tourism or even Spotify! Though the former does a great job while the latter helped in discovering many of the artists mentioned above.
* cover image CC