Mappila Songs - Social Context

Social Context

Religious teachings

In the early years of Mappilappaattu, the songs were written with a specific purpose of educating the masses about the religious teachings of Islam. In an era that preceded the printing press, oral traditions played an important role in the religious education of the Mappilas, especially those who could not read or write. Some of the early songs written entirely for this purpose included the Aqeedath Mala, Niskaarapaattu, Naseehath Mala, Kombinte paattu, Liqa Mala, Amaliyyath Mala etc.

Anti-colonial struggles

In the context of the Mappila uprisings against the British rule in Malabar in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Pada pattu played an important role in rousing Mappila sentiments of the Mappila peasantry in their struggle. The contribution of these ballads was a vital factor in the growth of a collective consciousness of a heroic tradition amongst the Mappilas. After almost every uprising of the 19th and 20th centuries, songs eulogizing the heroism of the participants and idealizing their sacrifice were composed and propagated by Mappila bands which went around the countryside singing them. Ballads were also popularized through group singing at social and domestic functions. These war songs often contained vivid descriptions of carnal pleasures of paradise awaiting the "martyrs". Prior to the launch of an attack, the rebels in aspiration of "martyrdom" used to recite the Mala pattu alongside other preparations.

The struggle by the Mappilas against Portuguese invaders in the 16th century led by Mappila legends like Kunhali Marakkars were also a major theme of such songs. Another popular theme in these songs were the battles of the early Muslims of Arabia which is evident in songs like Badar Padappattu, Uhad Padappattu, Hunain Padappattu, Makkan Fathahu and Khandaq Padappattu. The songs provoked the Mappila population against the British authorities to the extent that a large number of them including the publications of the Cherur Padappattu were confiscated and destroyed by the authorities.

These songs also provided an insight for historians into the thoughts and viewpoints of the rebels and have been used for authentic historic compilation. The songs on the Malappuram shahids provide the earliest description of an armed struggle between the Mappilas and the Jenmi landlord class in the pre-Mysore era.William Logan, refers to the Cherur Padappattu in the Malabar Manual while describing the incident. (Pg 560,Vol 1, Asian Educational Services, 2000). Roland Miller also quotes from this ballad in "Mappila Muslims of Kerala: a study in Islamic trends". (pg 119, Orient Longman, 1992.)

The 1921 Malabar Rebellion also spawned a large amount of Mappila songs. Many of these songs describe the events at the Khilafat movement in Malabar and offer a view into the conditions in Malabar during the era. A song sung at a Khilafat meeting at Tirurangadi in 1921 described the aims of the Khilafat Movement in a mindset of complete harmony with the National movement led by Mahatma Gandhi:
Munthiya Banduvay Hinduvum Muslimum (Hindus and Muslims have deep relations)
Moulana showathum Doula Khilafathum (The nation of Khilafath that the Moulana shows us)
Entri Vannavidham Mahatma Gandhi than sahitham (He brought it to us along with the great Gandhi)
Ahmed Kutty composed the Malabar Lahala enna Khilafat Patt in 1925 describing the events of the rebellion. Even the prisoners of the rebellion like Tannirkode Ossankoya used to compose songs in their letters to their relatives.

Marriage

The Mailanchi Pattu, the Oppana Pattu and the Ammayi Pattu belong to the category of Mappila Pattukal dealing with love and marriage. They are sung in chorus in connection with marriage festivals, often accompanied by rhythmic clapping by women.

Migration

In the "Gulf boom" years of the 1970s and 80s, mass migration of workers from the Malabar to the oil-rich Gulf states of the Middle East resulted in households where the working men were often separated from their womenfolk and the only means of communication was the letter. This brought about a huge interest in the Kathu pattu (letter song) genre of Mappilappattu. The lyrics of these songs often connected closely to the lives of the migrant workers and their families and it popularized this genre of Mappilappattu.

Others

Mappila songs occasionally did also narrate stories outside the Muslim community. One such ballad was called the Mappila Ramayana deals with the story of the Hindu mythological figure Sri Rama.