Dear readers of Fort Kochi, meow again! It’s Aroo and today I come with a secret. Please don’t tell this to the hooman at the residence of Cats of Kochi. I’m afraid I will be exploited if I reveal my secret to him. As the matriarch, I’ve got a reputation to maintain.
So it’s between me and you, alright? If this goes out, then you’re done for. An eye for an eye and beware– I’ve got quite sharp claws in my paws.
I’ll get to the secret soon but it started one day when I was strolling along the Aspin Wall Junction, an area of Fort Kochi quite famous for the annual Kochi Muziris Biennale. It was quite late in the evening and I was getting bored thinking about history, my fellow feline Bandit and what not. Although, a cat’s brain is said to be pretty huge and very intelligent. One of the finest in all creatures of the planet. There’s only so much I can think about spice trade and colonialism and kings and rulers. Bored out of my big brain, I walked towards the first thing that caught my eye. A building with a red wall.
Hoomans call it a political party office or something I assume and I honestly don’t care for it but the colors were alluring so I went and played with some of the red cloth that was lying down. And that’s when I heard it:
Saanson ki maala peh simroon mein pi ka naam
For the first time in my cat life, I felt like I could comprehend the human voice. Because usually to be fair, what they say goes over my head. But this was different. They were singing. And I could feel every emotion expressed in their voice. Even if it was in a language I’ve never ever heard of.
I followed the voice and it led me through a narrow staircase. The sound was getting louder.
Suddenly, I was picked up by someone. A very old looking gentleman with a kind face. He kept petting me and spinning me around. I already liked this place.
I hadn’t even looked around but the first question they asked me was: Can you sing?
I let out the most melodious meow. And kept purring a hum. After I was done, I got a big applause. The secret is out my readers: I have unlocked the new talent of singing. And that too, beautifully.
“When you think of music in Kochi, Mehmoob Memorial Orchestra is the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind.” said a veteran singer who was a long time supporter of the orchestra.
Friday Harmony - Ending the week with a song
What I walked upon was the Friday Harmony, a gathering organized by the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra (or MMO) every Friday at 6:30 PM at their office near the Aspin Wall Junction. Singers of all ages, gender, class, religion who had a genuine appreciation of music would gather on evenings at the end of the week, some of them after working hard at their jobs, some of them after studying, some of them needing a break from home – to lose (or perhaps, find) themselves in music by singing and listening to karaoke performances of each other.
The name comes as a remembrance to H. Mehboob, also known as Bayi, a singer who was popular in Kochi's soundscape in the 1950's and 60's. I wonder if there's any legendary cat singer whom I can take an inspiration from in this new found career!
The 'memorial' aspect of the office comes alive when you step inside the auditorium. A small stage in the front with numerous pictures taking up the walls surrounding it. On the stage is a seating arrangement quite unusual to Kochi music gatherings – a sofa that resembles the Sufi Qawwali's and Mushaira's. Although the singers of the Friday Harmony don't perform there as they are reserved for bigger events.
Musical Memories adorning the walls at MMO
There are no language restrictions to sing at MMO – as you can see how they even let our feline language to be sung! From 'Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaaon' to 'Sundari Kannal Oru Sethi' and 'Sathyam Shivam Sundaram'; all kinds of tunes are welcome. Mostly, people sing in either Hindi, Malayalam or Tamil. Hopefully, I inspire my cat fellows to also come and grace the stage one day. I highly recommend all music enthusiasts, even the ones who think they cannot sing, to come and listen to the melodious rhythms.
One of the singers who sang 'Ghar Se Nikalte Hi' told me about the annual event organized by MMO which is much awaited by many people in Kochi. They have been conducting this for decades – The Rafi Nite. A tribute to the legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi.
Do you want to attend Rafi Nite 2025? (Free entry for cats)
Date: July 31, 2025 (Thursday)
6:00 PM
Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam
Mehboob and ghazals
Mehboob was born in Fort Kochi. He grew up in Mattancherry, near Pattalam which used to be the Bengal Battalion Military Camp. He was from the community of Deccani Muslims, another one of the various communities in Fort Kochi. As their name implies, their ancestors hailed from the Deccan region of India, presumably during the invasion of Tipu Sultan in Travancore before the 19th century. I wonder how many of the cats I meet around in Fort Kochi are originally from places far, far away from here.
The community mainly speaks the language of Urdu at home. The Deccani Muslims of Kochi with about 300 families are the main contributors for the ghazal music scene, they continue to preserve their Deccani culture and heritage. Just like how, like my ancestors, I maintain my tradition of clawing at any cushion I see. My latest target was the sofa on the stage inside MMO.
Through some of the photos, I found out that Mehboob also got to sing with Mohammed Rafi! The event that probably envisioned Rafi Nite's by Mehboob Memorial Orchestra in the future!
Pictures of Mehboob and Rafi inside the MMO
Just like how my claw marks will live on in the sofa cushion of MMO, Bayi's music and Deccani music tradition will also continue to live on in the soundscape of Kochi.
Here's a glimpse into the music curated by MMO.
And soon there will be Aroo Memorial Orcatstra!
You can reach the place through the Google Maps location link below!
