Bolgatty Island’s sweeping vistas played host to the inaugural season of Experion-ARPO’s Earthlore, a cause that turns a new leaf in the history of Kerala’s folk music and indigenous art. A music festival celebrated over the weekend, the event left the audience introspecting the universality of music expressed through the traditional music honed by the Irular and Kattunaikkar tribes for centuries.
With a series of lecture demonstrations by eminent folk artists on Day 1, culminating in an electrifying concert on Sunday, the audience was left enthused, eager to know when they could experience this again.
The event was flagged of with the ceremonious lighting of the lamp by Binu Jacob, CEO and MD, Black Rock IT Solutions, and Jaimy Thomas, Director and Head of Service Delivery, with beloved Malayalam film composer Bijibal. The concerts largely comprised the hypnotic folk renditions of the two tribal groups, along with delightful soirees by co-curators Sreekanth Hariharan, Charu Hariharan, Majeesh Karayad and senior folk song diva Nanjiyamma. Njanjiyamma of the Irular tribe was honoured with a traditional shawl by our Director Jaimy Thomas.
The event highlighted the significance of folk tradition in world music and culture at large, and the importance of musical dialogue in the achievement of the greater goals of society.
The tribal workshop on 28th May attracted many popular celebrities as well as up-and-coming musicians and many listeners from all walks of life, who were treated to a true musical extravaganza, where conversation through music and dialogue were equally sparkling. The sessions were dedicated to understanding the instruments and their construction, as well as understanding tribal life.
The events, open to all, attracted a large crowd who were as much a part of the event as the performers, who pitched in through dance and cries of appreciation; the turnout vastly outdid the 400 registrations that were received online, a reflection of the public engagement through the lecture interactions that took place the previous day.
The Concert was certainly an eye-opener to the ever-vibrant Kochi audience, who will lead the charge in making subsequent seasons of Earthlore as much success as this one.
Black Rock IT Solutions was proud to sponsor the event and looks forward to further collaborations with ARPO in the future – in uplifting our forgotten communities and providing a means of revenue generation for them, we have contributed to reviving the culture and heritage of the state many of us call home. This furthers the company’s goal of becoming an entity that exists for a larger purpose, a company that gives back to the society that makes its existence possible.