The Earthlore Experiment: When Tribal Musicians Meet AI
What happened when tribal musicians used voice-activated AI to break language barriers, draft grants, and preserve their heritage from their phones?
Latest
Earthlore Fellowship 2026 Kicked Off In June 2nd Week!
"Through my art and music, I want to give back to my community. So before the fellowship ends, my dream is to create something that I can take back home." - Rakesh E R (Earthlore Fellow 2026) On June 5th, 2026, the second cohort of the Earthlore Fellowship
Entrepreneurship in the Cultural Economy: Notes from Kerala Startup Mission
On 19 June 2026, Sruthin Lal, Executive Director of the Archival and Research Project (ARPO), was invited to speak at Kerala Startup Mission in Kochi as part of a session titled Preserving Culture, Preserving Kerala. What began as a conversation about heritage and documentation turned into a discussion about entrepreneurship,
SAGA with Manu S Pillai: How ARPO Is Changing the Way We Understand Kerala's History
There is a moment in Episode 4 of SAGA that is difficult to forget. Litty Chacko, a Malayalam teacher who spent decades studying the life of a 14th-century mathematician, is sitting in an autorickshaw on the way back from an antique dealer in Kerala. She reads through some crumbling palm
Women in History, Culture, and Performance: What to Expect at Oppam Vaayo Fest
Oppam Vaayo by ARPO is a cultural festival that celebrates the stories of women that history often forgets, told through Kerala's folk traditions, classical performances, and heritage workshops.
Step Into Kerala’s Living Past: ARPO's SAGA series with Manu S Pillai
Each episode of SAGA series, hosted by Manu S Pillai is designed to be accessible, reflective, and rooted in real conversations with people who carry history forward in different ways.
ARPO collaborates with Calicut Museum for Kozhikode Vaayo
ARPO celebrates Kozhikode Vaayo by redefining the museum spaces in Kozhikode, encouraging cultural experiences and dialogues through people's participation and government-private sector collaboration
Launching Earthlore Band: A New Chapter for Indigenous Music
Witness a powerful, visceral performance of rituals, resilience, and deep connection to nature, where tradition explodes onto the modern stage.
Vaayo Fest Launched !
ARPO has launched Vaayo, a series of cultural events that celebrate and engage with Kerala's diverse, often overlooked traditions through immersive experiences.
We’re Building Ethical Foundation for AI in Heritage
The projects ARPO Earthlore and ARPO LoreKeepers are crucial for the age of AI. They create the ethical blueprint by demanding consent and fighting bias, ensuring future heritage AI is built on fairness.
Vaayo! ARPO Invites You to a Celebration of Heritage
Get ready, Kerala! This Kerala Piravi, Friday, November 1, 2025, the Archival and Research Project (ARPO) is launching something truly special: the first-ever Vaayo Fest! Hosted at Local Sustainable Living, Maradu, Kochi, this day-long cultural immersion is a direct and powerful appeal to engage with Kerala's diverse, resilient,
Donate to Earthlore Musical Production
Support the production of a musical performance by Earthlore Fellows that will showcase the collective talent and the rich indigenous music they represent.
tourism
Mannan Community’s Journey into Premium Heritage Tourism
Mannan community leaders explore Kochi’s premium heritage and sustainable tourism models, drawing insights for tribal culture-based premium tourism
earthlore
A Step Towards Sustaining the Mannan Language
As part of the ARPO Earthlore Project, we facilitated the participation of two Mannan community members in a workshop organised by the Keystone Foundation, helping them come up with ideas, address many questions, and develop a drive to do their part in conserving the Mannan language.
documentation
ARPO's Earthlore Documentaries Make Their Mark: Now Part of MA Syllabus!
We have some incredibly exciting news to share at ARPO! Our "Earthlore Documentaries" series, a project dedicated to showcasing the rich cultural heritage and unique traditions of indigenous communities, has achieved a significant milestone. Two of our documentaries focusing on the Mannan tribe have been officially included in
earthlore
Paliya Nritham : Episodes Released
In this series, meet the artists of Vellayankanni Paliya Parambaragatha Nritham, a team preserving tradition through every rhythm and verse. From marriage songs to harvest rituals, each episode offers an intimate look into the cultural and ecological knowledge encoded in these art forms.
earthlore
Have you watched these documentaries from Earthlore?
Since initiating our collaboration with the Mannan and Paliyar tribal communities of Thekkady, Idukki, we have produced a compelling series of documentaries on the cultural heritage of these two communities. These films are a key component of our ongoing Earthlore Documentation Project, supported by the Samāgata Foundation. Here are the
funding
Support ARPO: Become an ARPO Guardian
Your Monthly Contribution Fuels Our Living Heritage.
earthlore
ARPO Earthlore Fellowship: Cultivating Cultural Ambassadors in Wayanad
The first two months of the Earthlore Fellowship, supported by the Tata Trusts, saw remarkable progress in team cohesion, confidence, and musical development among the fellows.
Mannan Elders Revisit Ancestral Histories in Participatory Dialogue
At ARPO, collaboration and co-creation guide our work. As part of the research process under the Earthlore documentation project with the Mannan tribal community, we facilitated a rare participatory dialogue.
architecture
Conserving Kariyathan Temple, an abode of ancient inclusivity
Following the immense success of the Karnikara Mandapam project, which received a UNESCO Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2023, ARPO was delighted to facilitate the restoration of the Kariathan Meenupara Temple. Commissioned and fully funded by Mr Vivek Sahni, Chairman, Kama Ayurveda, it’s executed by Ezha conservation architects
Folklore
LoreKeepers Project: ARPO builds India's leading open video folklore archive
ARPO has digitally archived over 1700 lores — comprising folk songs and tales from diverse regions and communities, securing these traditions for future generations.
Building a Strong Value System: ARPO’s Journey with Aikyam
As ARPO continues to evolve into a structured organization, we recently embarked on an introspective journey to define our core values and collective purpose. Shemeer from Aikyam facilitated an immersive workshop that helped our team align on fundamental principles, navigate power dynamics, and reinforce our commitment to cultural preservation with
ARPO joins IndiGO, Sahapedia for promoting Calicut's Heritage
The walk was attended by IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer, Pieter Elbers and Rohini Bhatia, Chairperson, InterGlobe Foundation, among others.