The courtyard of a traditional Namboothiri mana (house) at Vallikkapatta near Manjeri in Kerala’s Malappuram district witnessed a rare sight on a moonlit Sunday night — Sufi Qawwali singers, exponents of the ghazal, and Hindustani vocalists regaling audiences into the wee hours in an inspiring exhibition of multi-cultural camaraderie.
Art aficionados and music lovers from across the State joined the Namboothiris of the Poonkudil Mana to enjoy the event christened Mazhanilavu (moonlit rain).
“I’m thrilled to be here, enjoying this midnight hour,” said P. Krishna Das, a college teacher from Kasaragod, revelling in the ever popular ‘Mast Kalandhar’ qawwali, which was rendered by Irfan Erooth and his team of Mehfil-e-Sama’a from New Delhi.
A mehfil of ghazals by Muhsin Kurikkal, Mehaboob Kavarnur and team preceded Erooth’s late night treat. The programme was organised by Kala, a Manjeri-based art collective headed by lawyer T.P. Ramachandran.
“We have been doing this for the last couple of years. The response has been tremendous,” said Mr. Ramachandran.
“Art is the best remedy for any treatment. If there is an element of art in someone, it’s easy to treat that person,” said P. Vasudevan Namboothiri, popularly called Devettan of Poonkudil Mana, known for its traditional treatment of mental disorders.
The audience, who reached Mana on Sunday night, were served free rice gruel and a green gram dish called puzhukku .
