In Search of a Lost Smell
(Magical potions of fragrances from personal collection, Attar) During my childhood, a Muslim religious scholar who sang Padappat—the Islamic war songs cherished in Malabar, Kerala— visited our house in Sullia. Many of these songs were composed by Moin Kutty Vaidyar (1857–1892), one of the most celebrated poets in the Malabar Muslim literary tradition. Their themes moved through the lives and legends of important figures in Islam, carrying history, devotion, and melody together in one long...