Folk Song, known as Nadan Pattu, has been a crowd favorite at Kerala's State School Arts Festival for over ten years. These songs are raw and rustic, like nature’s own music, filled with heritage, ancient wisdom, and local stories. Indigenous communities have passed these songs down through generations. On Friday, excitement over Nadan Pattu packed the Kerala Bank Auditorium so full that it sparked a protest due to lack of space. Folk artist Reeju Avala, with 25 years of experience, shared the effort behind gathering these songs. "We went to a tribal hamlet in Idukki once and stayed there for seven days," he said. "The community shared everything with us, including their life stories. But they didn’t give us their songs." Judge and folklorist Gireesh Ambra prefers calling these songs 'heritage' rather than folklore. He said, "These songs we sing carry heritage. We need to keep collecting songs and preserving them for posterity." Artist Jayaram Manchery echoed this call for preservation. Students like Arya Nanda from SNHSS North Paravur, part of the Nadan Pattu team, emphasized the value of such competitions. They performed lively songs like kottum kali pattu, valanattipattu, and oothattapattu using traditional instruments like maram, thudi, chilambu, and udukku, deeply delighting the audience. Kannur-based folk artist Ramshi Pattuvam noted, "Songs get changed as they are passed on," pointing out how tunes are sometimes adapted for wider appeal. This rich, living tradition continues to charm and inspire in Kerala’s schools.