Worldwide, Keralites are mourning the demise of Mappila paattu singer Eranholi Moosa, whose voice and the name is synonymous with the music that he brought to life. Moosa was also Folklore Academy vice-chairman. On Monday, the eminent Mappila paattu singer breathed his last at his residence in Thalassery.
Local reports cite that the singer was undergoing treatment for the pulmonary disease at a private hospital in Kozhikode. The funeral is likely to take place today at the Mattambram Juma Masjid Khabarastan.
‘Mappila paatu’ refers to a highly popular genre of folk music that is sung in the local Malayalam dialect, by the Mappilas of Kerala, mostly belonging to the Malabar region. It is generally seen that the lyrics are a seamless blend of Malayalam as well as Arabic. Many of the folklore songs are known to praise the Sufi saints and their good deeds. In Kerala, ‘Mappila paatu’ is a very popular musical genre that has evolved across decades.
Eranholi Moosa’s name is synonymous with ‘Mappila paatu’ but it took decades of struggles for the man to become the legend that he is today.
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While there are many stories around his humble beginnings, it is said that he began life hauling huge sacks of rice on a cart and delivering it at the Thallassery market before his musical journey took off as a career.
His early years as a Mappila paatu singer started with Moosa singing in those homes where marriages were taking place. Unlike today, there were no ‘entertainment’ options back then to celebrate something as significant as a marriage in the neighborhood. And like many singers of the time, struggles were part of Moosa’s life though he began singing at a very young age. It took many years before Moosa’s songs became so popular in North Malabar.
With several achievements to his credit as a Mappila Paattu singer, Eranholi Moosa is the most known name among the Keralites in the Gulf region as well. It is said that he has sung over a thousand stages in the Gulf.
He has also acted as an aging musician in a Malayalam film titled ‘Gramophone’, that captured the grim reality of many talented musicians struggling to make a living and aging in the narrow lanes of Mattancherry.
Eranholi Moosa’s demise is one that has plunged Keralite into grief and sorrow today, however, the ‘Mappila paatukal’ he has brought to life will live on in the hearts of all Malayalis.