The songs often use words from Persian, Hindustani, and Tamil, apart from Arabic and Malayalam, but the grammatical syntax is always based in Malayalam. They deal with themes such as religion, love, satire, and heroism, and are often sung at occasions of birth, marriage, and death. "Mappila Paattu" form an integral part of the heritage of Malayalam literature today and is regarded by some as the most popular branch of Malayalam literature, enjoyed by all Malayali communities in Kerala and Beary speaking communities of Karnataka .