The Politics of Sound; Poykayil Appachan’s Sonic Strategies Against Caste and Colonialism

Abstract

This study explores the sonic dimensions of Poykayil Appachan’s (1879-1939) anti-colonial and anti-caste discourses, examining his speeches, songs, and protests as critical sites of resistance. Poykayil Appachan (also known as Poykayil Yohannan or Poykayil Sreekumara Gurudevan) emerged as a pivotal figure in early 20th-century Kerala, mobilizing Dalit communities through oral traditions that subverted hegemonic narratives. His sonic interventions—deeply embedded in the sociopolitical realities of colonial oppression and caste subjugation—functioned as counter-histories that reclaimed erased pasts and articulated collective aspirations. By analyzing his lyrical compositions and public addresses, this paper underscores the performative power of his voice as both a political tool and a cultural assertion. Situating his discourse within the broader landscape of colonial modernity and Dalit resistance, the study reveals how his sonic methodologies redefined agency and belonging for the marginalized. In doing so, it contributes to scholarship on sound as a medium of subaltern articulation and historical re-imagination.