The plain translation of Subhan Allah is ‘glory to God’. But when Minha, a Class 10 student from KHMHS Alathiyur, Malappuram, renders the Arabic expression, it goes beyond the ordinary, conveying a deep spiritual meaning. A composition from Moosa Charitham set in a traditional Ishal (metre), the young girl delivers the song with an astounding proficiency.
Wallahi, the solemn oath, is equally profound as Angela Maria Thomas, a student of St Paul’s Girls H S Vettimukal, Kottayam, sings Ashabu Al-Kahf, a popular story from the Koran about a group of true believers who had to flee their homes and how Allah put them into a deep sleep inside a cave for several years.
Surprisingly, both the compositions are penned by Faizal Kanmanam aka Maliyekkal Abu Kenza, one of the prominent names among young Mappilapattu lyricists.
The Mappilapattu competition (HS Girls) held on Sunday at St. Joseph’s Convent GHSS was mostly an above average event with some contestants setting the bar so high.
There were sincere renditions of many popular works including those written by the most-celebrated Moyinkutty Vaidyar while works of Fazal Koduvally, Badruddin Paramel and Shujayi Moidu Musliyar were among the other choices.
The rich lyrics are deeply rooted in Mappila culture and at the same time they also create a glorious fusion of various elements. The verses are a blend of words and phrases from Arabic, Malayalam, Urdu, Persian, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and even Sanskrit and in spite of heavy alliteration, the vocal expression of the girls seemed nearly perfect.
While the fast and captivating rhythms are a hallmark of Mappila songs, some girls went for toned-downed versions to suit sober themes like the story of Sumayyah Bint Khayya.
Though there were contestants trained by composers, some of them had picked their songs from the vast array of compositions available online. A total of 20 girls participated in the contest.
