Ibrahim Thuruthi’s raw voice resonates with a musical system in the Upper Gallery of the Durbar Hall Art Gallery in Kochi. Many people ask, who is Ibrahim Thuruthi? Few people know this unsung singer from Fort Kochi, who dedicated his life to music.
Unlike famous musicians who find their place under the sun, there is an unknown musician who has devoted his life to promoting, promoting or carrying on an ancestral tradition. Photojournalist Madhurraj’s exhibition of photographs ‘Qawwali’ is a peon for these little known musicians.
Shri Madhuraj celebrates his life in an impressive narrative of 95 works, which focus on his life and times – history, culture, music and relationships. His musical stories have a common thread of a difficult, depraved life, which binds him with day-to-day hardships.
“Ibrahim was a kid when the great singer Mehboob dominated. He worked as a porter, and sang at wedding ceremonies for a living,” says Mr. Madhuraj, who recorded his voice and played it as the background score at the exhibition.
Others to be honored in this document are Anthrukka of Kannur, who played the harmonium used by none other than the famous composer MS Baburaj; Radio Koya or Hydros of Kozhikode who had a collection of more than 2,000 gramophone records and whose meeting turned into a gathering every evening; Hasan Bhai of Kasaragod, who played the shehnai used by Ustad Bismillah Khan and had a collection of 32 musical instruments and even started a music school. Others include the Ustad Harris Bhai of Koothuparamba in Kannur, who lived near the tabla and taught it to children from Vadakkara to Thalassery; Hameed Puthapara, who plays the rare Sai Banjo; and Abubakar or Aukukka from Baburaj’s tabla group in Kozhikode.
A heartwarming series on friendship ‘Dost’ has frames with violinist CM Vadiyal and tablaist TC Koya, depicting their jugalbandi at various places, with the most picturesque being on the Kozhikode beach.
A photojournalist, Mr. Madhuraj hails from Payyanur and along with his professional duties has documented social issues such as the Endosulfan tragedy in Kerala and the Plachimada issue. His lens has also focused on the issues of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
“My subjects are ordinary people who have created a musical space in small clubs, in their homes, in street corners. There was no division of class or culture in that space. I was attracted by their dedication and harmony,” says Mr. Madhuraj Whose documentation covers 15 years of the lives of these unsung musicians from Kerala.
The exhibition will end on August 14