Meet Angel Joshy, a young AI graduate whose passion for Kerala’s folklore—especially Pulluvan Pattu— has transformed her into a new voice for an ancient art.
You can see her walk the ramp, in music shows and other stage music performances across Kerala.
But recently when she sat down on the floor of a TV channel and belted out the Pulluvan Pattu, “Inganeyulloru nagarajakanmar”, holding the Pulluvan Kudam close to her by the left hand and strumming “brum, brum” by the right hand well in sync with the rendition, none could believe their eyes. Not even the judges.
The genesis of the song goes like this. During the burning of the Kandava forest by Agni aided by Arjuna, one snake escaped half-burnt. A girl fetching water in a mud pot saw the burning snake and put out the fire with water and left the pot on the ground. The snake slid into the pot and stayed there.
Surprisingly, the pot turned into an anthill as the girl chose to perform puja to the pot. The snake was pleased and gave a boon to the girl saying, “I am pleased with your worship; you and your progeny shall continue to worship snakes. We shall always make our divine presence felt whenever you invoke us by singing our praise to the strumming of the pot-instrument”. The Pulluvans are believed to be the descendants of this girl and hence the pot-instrument used by the Pulluvans even today.
A folkloric calling
Angel Joshy is a phenomenon in the secular cultural scape of Kerala. A graduate in Artificial Intelligence (AI), her passion from early days has been folklore and Pulluvan Pattu later. Added her mother, “She would listen to only those film songs that have a folk touch”.
Performed by the community of Pulluvans, the songs heard during the rainy season (during the month of Karkidakam) have a rustic beauty that beggars description. Apart from the vocal rendition noted specially for the superb tonal quality of the female singer, the soothing notes emanating from the ‘Pulluvan Vina’ and the jerking rhythm plucked from the strings of the ‘Pulluvan Kudam’ are believed to ward off evil and usher in prosperity.
Angel’s exposure to this music was from the neighbouring homes in Velappaya, near Mulankunnathkavu in Thrissur district during the rainy season. For a girl for whom folklore was an obsession, this was enthralling.
Bineesh, who was a tutor for folk music for preparing for competitions, helped her learn a few. But when presented on stages, the judges encouraged her to do it with the accompaniment of Kudam. And she not only procured one but also learnt how to fix it, hold it and strum the string with the special plectrum called ‘vayanam’.
In the Keralalothsava competitions two years ago, she secured ‘A’ grade from the Panchayat to the State level.
Breaking barriers
What surprises anyone is that a girl of a different background could evoke the intrinsic rustic charm of pulluvan song, in her voice, strumming style and further the very posture.
“There have been many negative comments below my posts in Instagram, Face Book etc. But I simply ignore them. In fact they only encourage me to go forward”, she said. Moreover she has performed in a few temple festivals as well!
Angel is looking forward for a Pulluvan Vina also which someone from Kasargod has promised. “I would like to master that also which is an essential accompaniment to Pulluvan Pattu”, she added.
A regular invitee to music festivals as a celebrity in Kerala, she has performed in Bahrain. “More invitations from many organisers there are still pending”, she pointed out.
Asked about her future plans, she said she would like to become a music composer for which knowledge of classical music is inevitable.
Her parents, Joshy and Sofia are also musically talented and provide unreserved support to her.
Endowed with an exceptional virtuosity for music and nonchalance to criticism, Angel is sure to soar dizzy heights of music.
