There was a time when Malayalis were influenced by revolutionary songs; it was the beacon of hope for a lost generation. With time, such songs received cult status and became ringtones and hello tunes.
Although a revolutionary song does not hold the importance it once had, they are still loved, even by the younger generation. One such poem Sakhav penned by Sam Mathew A.D. has been doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups for a while now.
When Arya Dayal from Kannur decided to make a random video of the song, little did she know that she would become an overnight sensation among Malayalis.
Her version of the song was uploaded on July 31 and by August 4, Arya did not even have time for lunch. This final year BSc Mathematics student at Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, was busy giving interviews during her lunch break.
Amidst the laughter and cacophony only a college atmosphere can create, Arya talks about the video, “The song was widely being shared and I just wanted to sing it and see how it went. That’s all. Initially, I did not know who wrote the poem. The video got shared among my college mates and they were the ones who told me that Sam Mathew was the poet who penned Sakhav. I struggled to get his contact details and I will be calling him soon.”
To her surprise, just days after it was uploaded, the video caught the attention of director Lal Jose and finance minister Dr T.M. Thomas Isaac, who shared it.
Arya is not new to singing; she has been learning music for the past 16 years.
“Till Class V, I was trained by Vasumathi teacher and after that, by Jayasree teacher and her husband Rajeev.” Arya had previously uploaded videos on western music video and Carnatic music based on Thodi raagam, but neither of those received such attention. “This was quite unexpected; I have been giving interviews since Wednesday. I am also getting a lot of appreciation. My friends and classmates are very supportive.”
Arya was a state-level winner in poetry recitation at school youth festival. She also stood first in university youth festival and is also part of her college music band D Music. Asked about her political leanings, she smiles, “I am a small comrade at heart.”
