About
To preserve and promote Kerala's pluralistic cultural heritage through digital archiving, multimedia storytelling, research and on-ground cultural revival.
The Archival and Research Project (ARPO) is a Kerala-based not-for-profit organisation founded in 2021 as a collective of young Malayali media professionals and academics. Its mission is to preserve and promote Kerala's pluralistic cultural heritage through digital archiving, multimedia storytelling, research, events and on-ground interventions. ARPO's Lore Keepers project, supported by the Faisal and Shabana Foundation, uses mobile journalism to crowdsource Kerala's vanishing folklore -- over 1,800 folk tales and songs have been collected and published on YouTube as Kerala's largest open-access video archive of oral tradition. Its Earthlore Fellows programme works with tribal artists from all districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. ARPO received a UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation (Award of Distinction + Special Mention for Sustainable Development) in 2023 for its restoration of the Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple, Calicut. Tata Trusts has supported ARPO within three years of its founding.
ARPO was founded in 2021 by Sruthin Lal and co-founders from journalism, economics and engineering backgrounds. The founding observation was precise: Kerala, despite its reputation for high literacy, suffers from a paradox of cultural amnesia -- Keralites know European and Russian history better than Kerala's history of 100-200 years ago. ARPO set out to fix this through accessible, media-forward documentation. The Lore Keepers project democratises the archive: anyone with a smartphone can record folk tales from their family or community following ARPO's guidelines and submit for publication. The Earthlore Fellows programme takes this further -- it works with 17 tribal artists from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, supporting the creation of musical compositions in their own languages. The fellows' debut performance launched in November 2025 at Nisarga Arts Club, Kochi, and the group is now on an India tour as an internationally recognised ensemble. The temple restoration work, which won a UNESCO award, came from a commission by Kama Ayurveda founder Vivek Sahni.
Founding & Leadership
Sruthin Lal is a young Malayali media professional who co-founded ARPO in 2021. His observation that Keralites know European history better than their own cultural past drove the founding mission. He has led ARPO's rapid growth to UNESCO recognition and Tata Trusts support within three years.
Initiatives & Portfolio
Mobile journalism-based crowdsourcing of Kerala's vanishing folklore. 1,800+ folk tales and songs collected and published on YouTube. Kerala's largest open-access video archive of oral tradition. Supported by Faisal and Shabana Foundation, Kozhikode.
Programme working with 17 tribal artists from all districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Supports creation of musical compositions in indigenous languages. Fellows performed debut at Nisarga Arts Club, Kochi (Nov 2025) and are now on India tour.
Restoration of Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple, Calicut. UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2023 (Award of Distinction + Special Mention for Sustainable Development).
Annual cultural immersion festival launched November 2025 at Local Sustainable Living, Maradu, Kochi. Celebrates Kerala's diverse cultural heritage.
ARPO's significance is as a new-generation cultural organisation that has compressed significant institutional impact into three years. Its Lore Keepers archive (1,800+ folk tales, YouTube-published) is the largest open-access oral tradition archive in Kerala. Its Earthlore Fellows represent a model for translating documentation into living performance -- the archive becomes a stage. The UNESCO award signals international recognition of its conservation methodology. Its Tata Trusts support validates its institutional credibility in a sector with many claimants.
[Atlas Perspective] CultureAtlas profiles ARPO as one of the most interesting new cultural organisations in India. Its media-native approach to heritage documentation, its multi-modal output (digital archive + live performance + restoration), and its rapid institutional recognition (UNESCO award, Tata Trusts, international touring) within three years of founding are unusual. The young age of the organisation is the primary risk factor; but the trajectory suggests genuine durability. CultureAtlas will track ARPO's development particularly in relation to Kerala's tribal and folk performing arts ecosystem.