After diving into the folk lyrics collected in Dr. Dhandayutham’s book Malaysia Nattupura Paadalgal (Malaysian Folk Songs) for more than a year, Kuma (Araro Ariraro producer) felt it was time to take the next step: reconstructing the melodies of these folk songs. He called me while I was in Amsterdam attending IDFAcademy and told me he was booking a ticket to Chennai for me. 

Thanks to him, it was in India that many things which had lived only in my head began to come alive.

My friend Ananth travelled with me, and together we attended Margazhiyil Makkal Isai, a folk music festival spearheaded by Pa. Ranjith, where the music and arts of the oppressed take centre stage.

After the festival, I travelled further south to Thanjavur. The Dean of the Folklore Department at Thanjavur Tamil University, Dr. Kamaraju, very generously arranged several meetings with folk singers from the region to support my process. 

In my mind, this trip was primarily about finding singers I could continue working with for the documentary.

I have been to India many times before, but this trip felt different. Strange, even. 

As I passed through the streets in an auto (tuk-tuk), I saw infinite faces: faces that are unfamiliar yet felt deeply familiar to me and to my ancestors. I felt a deep sadness at how far I have drifted from our roots, from our home, where our being once made complete sense. At the same time, I felt immense gratitude that we have drifted away to a place where we can breathe more freely. 

I suppose, as a diasporic person, this conflict will always exist within me.

To be continued...