Kochi: Veteran singer of Kerala's Muslim folk song 'Mappila Pattu,' VM Kutty, died due to a heart ailment at a private hospital here on Wednesday. His family sources gave information in this regard. VM Kutty was 86 years old. Kutty, a resident of Pulikkal near Kondotti in Malappuram district, contributed immensely in bringing 'Mappila Pattu' to the masses, which is the cultural identity of the state's Muslim community, especially in Malabar (North Kerala). State CM Pinarayi Vijayan has condoled his death, saying that Kutty was a genius who played a key role in popularizing 'Mappila Pattu' and taking the music genre to new heights.

Let us tell you that 'Mappila Pattu' is a folk song Muslim song style, which is sung in the colloquial dialect of Malayalam along with the Arabic language. Kutty was earlier a teacher in a local school. Thereafter, he composed the 'Mappila Songs' through research into centuries-old Arab-origin music. His artistic career began at the age of 20 with the presentation of 'Mappila Pattu' on the radio. He was the first to present 'Mappila Pattu' on stage and also formed a music troupe for it in the southern state.

For many years, he also popularized ancient folk songs, which were then confined to a few Muslims. Kutty has also written more than 1000 songs and many books. His famous books include 'Mappila Pattinte Lokami,' 'Bhakti Geethangal,' 'Kuruthi Kunju' and 'Bashir Mala.' A recipient of the 'Sangeet Natak Akademi Award,' Kutty also served as a secretary in the 'Institute of Mappila Studies' for a long time.

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