'A flower must be fragrant, a man must have virtues and a beautiful girl should be obedient' - the folk song 'Aalayal thara venam', popularised in 2016 by Kerala band Masala Coffee, was indeed made for a different time.
Most of us hardly took offence, as we danced to its rhythm, but musician Sooraj Santhosh gave it some thought eventually. That is how he penned 'Aalayal thara veno?' alongside Shruthi Namboodiri. The new, reconstructed version is questioning all the stereotypes the first one carried, asking if all these unwritten truths being passed down generations are even relevant anymore.
The song is being received well online. "The song has a lot of apolitical elements. It lacks the liberal outlook we have now, and is a misfit in the current times. When I told Sooraj about this, he agreed," says Shruthi.
Back in 2016, the song was made as a tribute to womanhood. "Despite its flaws, it was a celebratory song that made people dance and smile. Once, when I was part of a political protest in Thrissur, one of the protesters asked me, 'Shouldn't 'aalayal thara venda' be the right way to put it?'. That thought kept haunting me and I felt that being an artist, I was liable to correct mistakes in my songs," says Sooraj.
Since the song was too popular, restructuring it was a tedious task. So, Shruthi and Sooraj did a lot of research. "We talked to scholars and literary pundits. They said it’s okay to reconstruct a song as people like Sahodaran Ayyappan and Kavalam Narayana Panicker have done it. Kavalam Narayana Panicker himself has reconstructed many folk songs," adds Shruthi.
One thing they were particular about was retaining the aesthetic value of the original track. "Though it has mistakes, it is beautiful. That’s why people are hooked to it. Sooraj and I worked on the lyrics for days before finalising it. Though our intentions are pure, we didn’t want anyone to be startled," she says.
The energy of the band reflects throughout the song. The video was completely shot on iPhone by Syamaprakash MS and directed by Goutham Soorya. Though many applauded the effort, it has drawn some controversies too.
"Kavalam Sreekumar questioned if we have the right to reconstruct the lyrics. I’m even being bullied for my name. People who know me, know my political stand. But many judge me for my surname – Namboodiri. I'm not hanging on to it because I support caste-based identity. It is just a lot of paperwork to get it removed, but I guess it is high time I did it," says Shruthi.
The band first released a one-minute teaser of the song, to which many recorded videos and sent them. Sooraj and team included all those videos in the final song. He is, however, happy that many can acknowledge his thought behind the song.
"Many came to know that ‘Aalayal Thara Venam’ wasn’t written by Kavalam Narayana Panicker. People texted me saying how it is time to unlearn and do things differently. This is exactly what we are trying to establish," concludes Sooraj.