Kuttanadan Punchayile Kochu Penne Kuyilale...is a song dear to Malayalees. The boat song sung by cheerleaders on a boat perfectly blends the tradition and energy of the state.
The folk song has now got a fusion twist courtesy musicians Shankar Tucker and Vidya Iyer.
The Kavalam village on the banks of the Vembanad Lake on the Alapuzha-Kottayam border boasts of a snake boat named Kavalam Chundan which is a regular participant in Vallamkali (boat-race). The boat is the subject of the legendary film song of the 1960s "Kuttanadan Punchayile Kochu penne, Kuyilaale."
Vidya is one half of the famed Vidya and Vandana Iyer-sister duo who shot to fame when they recorded "Nee Nenaindal" as a fun project with clarinetist and composer Shankar Tucker of ShrutiBox fame. Both started to learn music at a very young age under D.K. Nagarajan, brother of D.K. Pattammal. Vidya has now gone solo with her own Youtube channel VidyaVox while Vandana is currently pursuing her passion for advertising in the US.
The song