IGNOU MEG-16 Block-6 Folk in Contemporary Indian Fiction Notes
MEG-16 Block-6 Folk in Contemporary Indian Fiction
http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/48599/1/MEG-16B6E.pdf
The units discuss what constitutes modern Indian literature and how it is different from pre-modern Indian literature with special reference to fiction.
Print media and the division of languages in India into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ languages. - (the dominant educated group and the elite which emerged across the subcontinent) were the ones which came to be categorized as ‘major’ languages.
UNIT 21 Pather Panchali by Bibhuti Bhusan Bandopadhyay
What is ‘folk’?
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary terms the word “folk” as “people in general”; and also identifies it as something which is “originating from the beliefs and customs of ordinary people”. Folklores as part of ‘naturally’ oral/non-written traditions of any society around the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born on September 12, 1894, at Muratipur village in district Nadia of the British Bengal, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay is a renowned literary figure of the Bengali literary. It all began with his first short story ‘Upekshita’, which got published in a premier Bengali literary magazine Probasi in 1921. Seven years later, in 1928, with the publication of his first novel Pather Panchali he received his due popular applause. Though he received a lot of praise for his works, his lifelong dismay remained that he had to struggle for a proper shelter and livelihood for himself
Works - Aparajito, Aranyak, Chander Pahar, Heera Manik Jwale, Adarsha Hindu Hotel, Ichhamati, Bipiner Sangsar, Anubartan, Kosi Pranganeyer Chitthi, Dristi Pradeep, Debjan, Ashani Sanket, Kedar Raja, Dampati, Dui Bari, Kajol (the sequel to Aparajito, later completed by his son Taradas), Mismider Kabach, Jatrabadol and others.
ABOUT THE NOVEL
First issued serially in the journal Vichitra in 1928 and 1929 and published in book form in November, 1929, Pather Panchali, translated as Song of the Road, is the magnum opus of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.
THEMES OF THE NOVEL
how poor people being thronged by every hardship do not give up the spirit to live and even in most adverse circumstances never shy away from cherishing the little pleasures of life.
portrayal of idyllic village life where people are satisfied with little things.
Love gives them hope.
FOLK ELEMENTS IN THE NOVEL
Pather Panchali revolves around the lives and events of the people of Nischindipur
and thus portrays “the beliefs and customs of ordinary people”.
Life Style
Food Habits
Rituals
Ballads and Sayings
Fairs and Entertainments
Folk Dramatic Performance
Superstitions
UNIT 22 The Folk Culture of Odisha: Gopinath Mohanty's Paraja
We will discuss the interplay between the cultural identities and the homogeneity associated with the folk culture and the tribal culture of rural Odisha. Even if folk culture and tribal culture are used synonymously, both are fundamentally different in the sense that the former is dependent on different traditions whereas the latter is independent; it is rather an end in itself.
Folk tradition is a macro-base of the micro tribal traditions. The idea of cultural identity and group feeling is less in the folk tradition. Qualities like regional identity in terms of culture, sharing of the common group behaviour, common religiosity, historicity, oral traditions, strong feelings of caste and tribe are the factors that constitute the folk tradition.
FOLK CULTURE OF ODISHA
The common characteristics of the folk culture of Odisha are homogeneity, cultural consciousness, group identity, dying languages, folk beliefs, rituals and practices, less interaction with the outside world.
all folk literature is orally transmitted, but all orally transmitted literature is not necessarily folklore. Non-verbal aspects of the folklore such as games, dances, streetplays may not be truly oral, those are learnt by the progeny as a habit. But there are folk songs in Odisha which are now slowly evolving into written texts
HISTORICITY AND RELIGIOSITY
Lord Shiva introduced Tandav Nritya to purge the lower caste people from all sins. Dandanata is performed by the lower caste people of Odisha which is a reaction against the Brahminical domination in the past.
of the tribals in western Odish is the Nuakhai festival, which literally means the consumption of the new crops of the year.
central and western Odisha is the Karma festival. The festival is celebrated in the month of Bhadra (August / September) and Sal tree is worshiped by the tribals.Karma worship is a famous festival during autumn in rural Odisha, and the Karma tree represents the God of Fate which is worshipped as the incarnation of God. Karma controls the human destiny, gives the people prosperity or pain.
Chaitighoda-Nata is one of the most prominent festivals of the fishermen of Odisha celebrated among the coastal tribals. A Goddess possessing the head of the horse name Basuli is worshiped. It is well decorated and a man enters the head and dances. Its origin goes to the Ramayana where Lord Rama Chandra rewarded a horse to the boatman for rowing him safely during his exile.
Chadak Puja is a puja of Lord Shiva and Gauri in some districts of Odisha and Bengal. The devotees worship Tarkeshwar and display physical exercises. They worship the Ghata which means destruction of desires. They practise hard exercises like walking on a pole and on fire. Wine and meat are strictly prohibited while sanctity and spirituality dominate.
Dalkahi is a ritual folk dance of western Odishaa in Sambalpur region. This is dedicated to Dalkhai Devi, Goddess Durgra, Parvati and Kali. It is the form of Shakti or power of the Goddess which is worshiped during Dalkhai
Pala derives its origin from an effort of the Hindu- Muslim unity, for the avoidance of fanaticism and intolerance. After the reign of Aurangzeb, the people of both the communities attempted to live together. The Sufi poets like Kabir, Gurunanak and Hindu poets like Sri Chaitanya took up the charge of writing such devotional songs that could satisfy the spiritual quest of both the communities..
WOMEN AS THE CUSTODIANS OF CULTURE
In Odisha this puppet making has developed as a family art since long. Four persons are required to stage a puppet play: one Sutradhara who controls the threads of the puppet, two singers and one drummer.
The villagers are ignorant of the higher metaphysical concepts of Hinduism and the Hindu Gods like Vishnu, Rudra, and Varuna are mere names for them. The caste Hindus have a feeling that they are the chosen few of Gods for which they do not allow the tribals to touch or approach their Gods. This has made the tribals create their own Gods, taking ideas and offsprings from their daily lives. The financial status of the tribals can be easily comprehended by looking at their wretched Gods, who are the phenomena of nature like earthquake, sun, moon, birds, beasts, fish, reptiles, trees and plants, stones and articles of daily use.
FOLKTALES AND FOLK MUSIC OF ODISHA
The folk stories can be classified into legends and folk tales: a legend is a historical narrative and the folk tales are purely imaginative stories which might be having an oral tradition.
To quote Dr. Kunja Behari Dash, who classifies the folk tales into five categories: “The folk tales of Odisha may be broadly divided into five classes:
1) Tales of Kings who are stupid, whimsical and despotic.
2) Tales of adventure by the sons of Kings, Ministers, Merchants and Police Officers.
3) Tales of giants, witches, ghosts and demigods.
4) Tales of birds, beasts, snakes, flying horses, magic boats, magic jewels and fish.
5) Tales of sea voyage reminding us of the golden age when Odisha had an overseas empire and trade with China, Indonesia, Cambodia, South Africa and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)”
ORAL TRADITIONS
stories, transferred from one generation to their progeny through an oral tradition, are lyrical, entertaining, soothing like a lullaby, based on non-serious themes, conversational, to be told in a sing-song voice. Unfortunately, these tales are slowly passing into oblivion, and a revival of these tales would be an important step to preserve a culture.
Odia writers frequently make use of proverbs / dakbachans and local sayings to make their language forceful and rooted to the soil.
STUDY OF GOPINATH MOHANTY’S PARAJA
The Paraja are the representatives of the subjugated and exploited milieu, they stand for the millions of tortured indigenous tribes all over the world. Gopinath Mohanty’s award winning Odia novel Paraja (1945).
The novel Paraja is about the unrecorded tribal history, practices and ethnicity which are swiftly evaporating. The Paraja as well as the other tribes are being driven from their land and a cultural death is round the corner. Gopinath Mohanty has gone back to time immemorial, to the oral tradition of the Paraja and has penned a novel which throws light on their life style and their philosophy which is being corrupted by forces of a materialistic, modern society. It appears to be derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Praja’ which literally means the common people, i.e. subjects, as distinct from the rulers called the Raja. The word Paraja also has another meaning in the Odia language, namely the tenant (farmer) or Royat.
Jili’s lover Bagala is not in a hurry to marry Jili as he cannot pay the bride price. Bride price is the cash given to the girl’s family by the groom at the time of marriage. The Paraja tribe may marry only in the months of February, March, April and May. The other types of marriages are marriage by capture and marriage by elopement. The huge bride price virtually makes the groom’s family penniless. It is quite an accepted thing for a young man, unable to pay ‘bride price,’ to become a goti (bonded labourer) of his future father-in-law for a particular span of time. After he has paid off the bride price through his labour, he is permitted to marry the girl.
The hunting expedition is allegorical as Mandia and Bagala set out not just to hunt an animal but also their companion.Bagala captures Kajodi and runs away into the jungle and exercises the ancient Paraja right of wedding by capture. Every festival is accomplished by singing, dancing and drinking. The men had “mahua wine and the women pendom-strong mandia beer – or landha, which is only slightly less potent.
Mohanty is deeply critical about the concept of bonded labour prevalent in Odisha.
The forest guard has his evil eye on Jili, but after being spurned by her and insulted
by her father, he takes his revenge on the family by accusing Sukru Jani for the
illegal felling of trees. To avoid imprisonment, Sukru borrows a lump sum amount
from Sahukar Bisoi to pay the fine and as a result becomes a debt bound goti or a
bonded labourer. The tradition of goti among the Parajas means a fixed agreement
by which a man has to work for the moneylender instead of making repayment. The
tribesmen seek loans from the Sahukar for marriages or bride price, and for grains
during the rainy season. The “interest far exceeded the principal and the debt went
on increasing from year to year.”(49) The poor tribals would mortgage their land
and the Sahukar becomes master of their land, their bodies and souls. According to
the agreement on which Sukru Jani and his illiterate son, Tikra Jani plant their
thumb impression, the Sahukar charges compound interest at fifty percent per year
and only rupees five a year for the services rendered by Sukru Jani and Tikra.
The Migrant Labourers are another face of the exploitation to the tribals about whom Mohanty shows deep concern. The exploitation of the Paraja by the outsiders is evident in the migration of Jili and Bili as labourers at a road construction site. Sukru Jani brings them home once he frees himself from the Sahukar after mortgaging his land to the Sahukar.
The bloodshed at the end of the novel is a repercussion of the silent suffering and anger, which is like ‘a fire that feeds on itself and waits’ (127) till it cannot be suppressed any more. According to Mahasweta Devi, violence is defensible when tribals are exploited. “When the system fails in justice, violence is justified….
UNIT 23 Maila Anchal by Phanishwar Nath Renu
Renu’s Life ( 1921-1977) and Works:
Renu was born on 4 March 1921, at a small village, Aurahi Hingna, near Forbesganj of Purnea district (now Araria district) in the state of Bihar in a middle class farmer family. His original name was Fanishwar Nath Mandal. His grandmother used to call him Rinua (literally meaning ‘dust’ or ‘pollen grain’). It was later changed to Renu and it eventually became his pen name. y. In 1942 he took active part in the Indian freedom struggle. He served a three-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in Bhagalpur Jail.
His works include—
Maila Anchal, Parti Parikatha (1957), Juloos (1965), Deerghtapa (1963), Kitne Chaurahe (1966) and Paltu Babu Road ( published posthumously). He also wrote short stories: Maare Gaye Gulfam, Ek Adim Ratri Ki Mehak, Lal Pan Ki Begum, Panchlight, Thes Samvadiya, Tabe Ekla Chalo Re, Rinjal Dhan Jal and Wighthan ke Chhanh. His collections of stories include Thumri Agnikhor, and Acche Aadmi. For some time he was in Bombay and tried his hand at scriptwriting. He penned his story Maare Gaye Gulfam for the film Teesri Kasam in the mid-sixties. This legendary writer left us on 11th April 1977.
Synopsis of novel - RFB
AS A BHASA NOVEL
“The regional novel emphasizes the setting, speech and social structure and customs of a particular locality, not merely as local colour, but as important conditions affecting the temperament of the characters and their ways of thinking feeling and interacting”
It was only after independence that his long cherished dream of opening the centre could be fulfilled. Dr. Prashant was appointed as a doctor at the centre. He internalizes the locale of Marygunj and identifies himself with it. After his short stay at the village, he became so engrossed and emotionally attached with the villagers that he gave up the golden opportunity to go abroad for higher studies. He becomes very popular with the local people and brings in new awareness to fight against the zamindars who have unlawfully grabbed their land.
Khari boli is the literary form of Hindi. But in order to give a feel of local colour and regional flavour, an artist selects certain words of that dialect which he wants to render through his work. In Maila Aanchal, approximately two hundred regional words have been meticulously used to give the feel of regionalism.
Too many characters, some are underdeveloped or even forgotten in the middle of the novel.
UNIT 24 The Dilemma by Vijaydan Detha
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born on 1 September 1926, Vijaydan Detha is a renowned and celebrated author of Rajasthan. He belongs to the bardic community of the Charans of Rajasthan. He has received several honours and awards in his seventy-year long literary career, which includes Padma Shri (2007), Shatiya Chudamani (2006), Katha Chudamani award (2005), fellowship of the Sahitya Akademi (2004), and the first Sahitya Akademi award for Rajasthani (1974).
“The Dilemma” (Duvidha) by Vijaydan Detha is a short story inspired by a Rajasthani folk tale. Movie - Paheli by shahrukh khan.
Story - RFB
In Detha’s story, the title The Dilemma (Duvidha) hints at the inherent confusion that lies at the core of the entire development. The element of dilemma is distinctly evident in at least four parts of the story.
The first instance of moral dilemma occurs when the ghost fell in love with the bride at first sight, and was unable to decide his next course of action to win his love.
At the revelation of the truth, the bride was also taken aback; she said, “I can’t make up my mind whether it is better that you have spoken the truth or whether it would have been better had you not spoken it” (37). To this the ghost comes up with almost a Freudian explanation, that in case of most of the supposedly “chaste” women, chastity is only a tangible parameter, since though they do not indulge in infidelity in real life, but in reality they are attracted to someone else.
The third instance of the dilemma in the story arises when the real son of Seth reappears and asserts his claim as the true heir to the family.
Even the conclusion of the story leaves the readers in a state of dilemma: as readers we are left pondering as to whether the end of the story is a logical conclusion to the development of the events.
CRITICAL THEMES OF THE STORY - RFB
Dilemma between Purity and Impurity (Sacred and Profane)
A Woman’s Tale
Ghosts or Supernatural Agent
UNIT 25 Chemmeen by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
The Writer’s Bio-brief
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912-1999), has to his credit thirty nine novels and more than five hundred short stories, apart from four autobiographical memoirs and some miscellaneous writing. his first published tale came around when he was just 17
Chemmeen, which came in 1956 and immediately got Thakazhi the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1957, is apparently a romantic tale set against the backdrop of the lives of Kerala fisher-folk.
STORY - RFB (Read From Book)
CHARACTERS- RFB
Chembankunju
Chakki
Pareekutty
Karuthamma
Palani
Panchami
Society
Situating Chemmeen in the domain of Folk
The Sea: Realities and Myths
Community Life
Caste, Class and Religion in Chemmeen
The Modernity of Folk: Magic Realism and Allegory in Chemmeen
Chemmeen: Exploring the Romantic-Lyrical in Prose Fiction
UNIT 26 Kanthapura by Raja Rao
Folklore, Myth and Marginal Representation in Kanthapura
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