Showing posts with label MEG-16 Indian Folk Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MEG-16 Indian Folk Literature. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 June 2025
Sunday, 20 February 2022
MEG 16 Important questions based on previous year’s question Papers
MEG 16 Important questions based on previous year’s question Papers
Attempt a critical essay on the growth of folklore studies in India. Attempt a critical essay on the beginning and growth of folklore studies, in India in particular, and in other parts of the world in general.Comment on 'Folklore as an expression of life.' Why do you consider folklore as an expression of social existence ?"Folklore is an expression of our existence." Elucidate. What do you understand by the term `Folklore' ? Do you think that the study of folklore changed after World War II ? Discuss two pioneer folklorists of India. Write about Ramanujan and his growth as a folklorist.Elucidate A. K. Ramanujan as a pioneer folklorist of India. Attempt a critical essay on two academic approaches and the schools of thought they belongs to, centered on the study of folklore.
What are the thematic and the narrative concern of folk literature ?
Do you consider folk narrative poems as an essential part in the social and cultural life of India ? Discuss any two folk narrative poems which are extensively used in folktales.
Discuss the issues of identity and hybridity of folk forms in ‘Kshetra’ and ‘Desha’
Define 'myths' and analyse the characteristics of myths with examples.
‘Folk literature may or may not be realistic literature; sometimes it may be an amalgamation of reality and myth.’ Comment.
Give your views on the future of oral epics in India. Discuss ‘Oral Epics of India’ by Stuart H. Blackburn as compendium of myths of various regions of India. Enumerate and explain the differences between the 'oral' and the 'written' cultures
Give a critical overview of the prehistoric rockart or cave painting to the living tradition of folk painting at present.
Discuss folk theatre practised across the various states of India. What are the characteristic features of folk theatre in India ? Discuss with reference to Pala and Nautanki.
Discuss, how folk forms voice or constitute `protest'. Give examples from folk ballads and folk songs. What do you understand by the term ‘Protest’ ? How is it expressed through folk riddles ?
Discuss the critical debates related to the innate wisdom of the tribal communities, with special reference to 'When the World Was Young' by Verrier . Why and how did Verrier Elwin collect and document tribal tales ? DiScuss with reference to 'When the World Was Young'. Critically appreciate the rich imaginative faculty of the tribal communities with special reference to 'When the World was Young'. Bring out the themes and motifs of the text, ‘When the World Was Young’
Critically analyze Ramayana in Modern South India' by Paula Richman. With reference to the conflict between individual interest and the public good. Discuss the dynamism of the epic, ‘Ramayana’, with reference to Paula Richman’s ‘Ramayana in Modern South India.’
Discuss the critical debate in Sitakant Mahapatra's `The Awakened Wind : The Oral Poetry of the Indian Tribes'. “The Awakened Wind : The Oral Poetry of the Indian Tribes” by Sitakant Mahapatra is his major contribution to Indian folk literature. Comment.
Critically examine 'The Legend of Pensam' as a modern response to an ancient and traditional culture.
Critically appreciate `Pather Panchali' and the idea of folk in it. Discuss Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay's engagement with myth and history with reference to Pather Panchali'. Discuss the ideas of the folk in the novel ‘Pather Panchali’. Identify/Discuss the ‘folk’ and ‘popular’ in Satyajeet Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’.
Attempt a critical note on eco-systems of the `Paraja' tribe with reference to the novel `Paraja'.
Discuss the idea of ‘folk’ from the perspective of Habib Tanvir and his body of theatre work.
Discuss 'The Dilemma' as a contemporary novel, bringing out the folk elements in it.“Folk is a form of resistance, a critique of the prevelant norms of the society.” Discuss with reference to ‘The Dilemma’ by Vijayadan Detha.
Charandas Chor' is a benchmark for theatre practitioners, scholars and folklorists. Discuss. ‘Charandas Chor is a sort of modern proverbial Robin Hood’ – Comment
How does caste hierarchy operate in the novel ‘Chemmeen’ ?
Discuss `Maila Anche as a Bhasha novel, bringing out the folk elements in it.
Discuss Girish Karnad's engagement with myth, history and folklore with reference to 'Naga Mandala'.
10. Attempt short notes on any two of the following : 10x2=20
Folk Theatre
'The Oral Poetry of Indian Tribes' by Sitakant Mahapatra
Folk elements in Kanthapura'
Brahminization vs. Sanskritization
Hayavadana Jatra, Kathakali, Tamasha, Nautanki, Pala
Palace Paradigm and Epic Discourse
Songs of love and wedding songs in Indian Folklore
Jatra and Kathakali
The folk and film
Naga Mandala
Charandas Chor
Sanskritization
Growth of Folklore Studies in India
Folklore : A Counter Discourse
Palace Paradigm
Myths and rituals
Folklore of North East India
Jatka and Pala
Friday, 13 August 2021
IGNOU Meg- 16 Block-7 Folk Theatre Notes
Meg- 16 Block-7 Folk Theatre
FOLK THEATRE
LINK FOR IGNOU BOOK - http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/48603/1/MEG-16B7E.pdf
UNIT 27 Appropriation of Folk in Indian Theatre: Jatra, Kathakali, Tamasha, Nautanki and Pala
The generous use of the following in order to cater to the entertainment choices of the masses:
• music
• dance
• different types of drums and other popular musical instruments
• extravagant and theatrical make-up
• masks
• singers
• chorus
• clown
The themes in folk theatre are along the lines of the folk literature involving stories retold and enacted from:
• mythological texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana
• romances, tales and legends of folklore
• social and political events and incidents of a given time
Folk theatre is not merely a production watched from a distance by the audience rather it involves a synergism of:
• customs
• beliefs
• observances and rituals undertaken by performers as well as the audience
• celebrations
• festivals
• special occasions like child-birth, marriage, coronation of an heir, victory in battle field, elections, sports etc.
• martial arts
• charity
• collective prayers, congregations
Folk theatre is traditionally performed in the open on makeshift stages like round, square, rectangular, multiple-set which are almost always facilitated through the support of the audience, village people, community or panchayats.
Jatra
It began in Bengal in the 15th century under the influence of the Bhakti movement. The devotees of Krishna and disciples of Sri Chaitanya would go on walking in small trains displaying their devotion through highly energetic singing and dancing, sometimes performing episodes from the life of Krishna. jatra – which means to travel or to embark on a journey. Towards the 19th century the jatra underwent changes and its repertoire got enriched with love sagas, and with social and political issues. Jatra was primarily operatic theatre, but by the beginning of the 20th century spoken dialogues were introduced in jatra along with the singing. Originally, it used to be a night-long performance, but was, over time, cut down to a few hours. The musicians sit on both sides of the stage playing the pakhawaj, harmonium, tabla, flute, trumpets, violin, dholak, cymbals and clarinet. Music and singing is mostly based on folk tunes.
Kathakali
It is an interesting amalgam of dance, drama, classicism, music, folk, costumes, make-up and storytelling.The state of Kerala and the adjoining south-western Indian region are the homeland to Kathakali. Kathakali performances are based on the stories from Mahabharata, Ramayana and Shaiva literature. Kathakali is a mimed dance, where the narration and dialogues are rendered by the singers/chorus sitting on one side of the stage, and is characterized by drumbeats and intense singing
The description of the dance is further given as follows:
Most kathakali characters (except those of women, Brahmans, and sages) wear towering headgear and billowing skirts and have their fingers fitted with long silver nails to accentuate hand gestures.
The principal characters are classified into seven types.
(1) Pachcha (“green”) is the noble hero whose face is painted bright green and framed in a white bow-shaped sweep from ears to chin. Heroes such as Rama, Lakshmana, Krishna, Arjuna, and Yudhishthira fall into this category.
(2) Katti (“knife”), haughty and arrogant but learned and of exalted character, has a fiery upcurled moustache with silver piping and a white mushroom knob at the tip of his nose. Two walrus tusks protrude from the corners of his mouth, his headgear is opulent, and his skirt is full. Duryodhana, Ravana, and Kichaka belong to this type.
(3) Chokannatadi (“red beard”), power-drunk and vicious, is painted jet black from the nostrils upward. On both cheeks, semicircular strips of white paper run from the upper lip to the eyes. He has black lips, white warts on nose and forehead, two long curved teeth, spiky silver claws, and a blood-red beard.
(4) Velupputadi (“white beard”) represents Hanuman, son of the wind god. The upper half of his face is black and the lower red, marked by a tracery of curling white lines. The lips are black, the nose is green, black squares frame the eyes, and two red spots decorate the forehead. A feathery gray beard, a large furry coat, and bell-shaped headgear give the illusion of a monkey.
(5) Karupputadi (“black beard”) is a hunter or forest dweller. His face is coal black with crisscross lines drawn around the eyes. A white flower sits on his nose, and peacock feathers closely woven into a cylinder rise above his head. He carries a bow, quiver, and sword.
(6) Kari (“black”) is intended to be disgusting and gruesome. Witches and ogresses, who fall into this category, have black faces marked with queer patterns in white and huge, bulging breasts.
(7) Minnukku (“softly shaded”) represents sages, Brahmans, and women. The men wear white or orange dhotis (loincloths). Women have their faces painted light yellow and sprinkled with mica, and their heads are covered by saris.
Tamasha
Tamasha originated in the early 18th century in Maharashtra as an option to entertain the Mughal armies that would camp while on their war-expeditions in the Deccan region. In 18th and 19th centuries, tamasha flourished in the courts of the Maratha rulers and had its heyday in the Peshwa period (1796–1818). Tamasha is a Persian word which means a spectacle, or display. Tamasha, like most folk theatre forms, is a highly energetic performance with powerful drumming and loud gestures, sometimes with suggestive lyrics. In the traditional tamasha form, the dancers comprise dancing-boys called as nachya, who also performed the role of female characters, and a poet-composer known as Shahir who played the traditional role of a sutradhar or sometimes the role of a jester, called Songadya, who would conduct the performance.
Nautanki
Nautanki is a night-long performance in which a narrative is performed through singing and occasional dancing tweaked with few acts of humour. Most of the performers in a nautanki are singers too. Sometimes the use of chorus is also there. The musicians sit on the stage and are visible to the audience. During the heightened moments, while the emotive energy peaks in the performance, an interesting repartee between the performers and the musicians can be evidenced. A nautanki performance begins with invocation to gods. The costumes worn in 12 Folk Theatre nautanki are usually traditional. They may have variations depending on the characters. The dresses and makeup are not very complex and so it is not a difficult task for the artist to get ready for the stage.
Pala
Pala is a popular folk theatre tradition of Odisha and is related with a composite
culture of the community of Satyapir. Pala originates in the Mughal period when
the “Satyanarayan” of Hindus intermingled with the “Pir” of Muslims. This amalgam
resulted in the formation of Satyapir.The Muslim fakir had Hindu disciples who worshipped him like a Hindu deity and Muslim disciples too believed in him like a religious leader. The devotional singing and dancing performed in honour of Satyapir is referred as to as pala. Fakir is considered to be an incarnation of Satyapir. He is greatly revered by Muslims as well as Hindus.
A pala performance begins with an invocation to Satyapir. This is followed by a musical rendition of stories from Puranas, the epics or folklore, along with the devotional compositions of various poets. Firstly the gayak narrates the mythological episode and the co-performers join the gayak in accordance with the sequential moments in a chorus similar to dialogue. In a pala, the gayak is the core to the whole performance as he strikes a rapport with the audience, leads the musical rendition of the narrative and improvises to entertain and enthral the devotional attention of the audience. Through his spirited singing he has to create a make belief for power along with softness in the performance.
On the basis of the mode of performing, pala can be of three varieties:
baithaki (sitting),
thia (standing), and
badi pala in which the two groups of pala playfully compete to excel in the performance
UNIT 28 Folk, Popular and Film
Generally, a film can accommodate the elements of folk in two ways.
/One is through iconic adaptation of a folk literature with its specifications and another is to adapt a literature, adding several folk elements which ultimately attach a new dimension in the film. The same rule can be applied in the case of adapting ‘popular’. On one hand, a film can adapt a popular literature which is intended for the entertainment of mass; and
on the other, it can incorporate a number of popular features in high/ serious literature also. But, if a film based on high/serious literature becomes popular among the masses, it can also be termed as a popular film.
IDENTIFYING ‘FOLK’ AND ‘POPULAR’ IN SATYAJIT RAY’S PATHER PANCHALI: A CASE STUDY
About the film and the author & Element of folk - RFB
IDENTIFYING ‘FOLK’ AND ‘POPULAR’ IN RIDLEY SCOTT’S ROBIN HOOD : A CASE STUDY
About the film and the author & Element of folk - RFB
UNIT 29 Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana and Naga-Mandala
Girish Karnad: An Indian playwright of repute, recipient of Padma Bhushan and Jnanpith Award, Girish Raghunath Karnad is not only known to people associated with drama and theatre studies, but also to the cinema goers as an actor and director. Born in 1938 in Matheran, near Mumbai and educated at Sirsi and Dharwad in Karnataka, Mumbai and Oxford
Works - Yayati (1961), Tughlaq (1964), Hayavadana or Horse-Head (1971), Anjumallige, literally ‘Frightened Jasmine’ (1977), Hittina Hunja, literally ‘The Dough Rooster’ or ‘Dough-Cock’ is written in 1980, Bali: The Sacrifice in 2002. In 1988, with Naga-Mandala, Tale-Danda (1990), literally ‘Death by Decapitation’, Agni Mattu Male (The Fire and the Rain, 1994), Odakalu Bimba (2004) in Kannada translated as Bikhre Bimb in Hindi and A Heap of Broken Images in English, Maduve Album (2006) translated in English as Wedding Album appeared in 2009, Flowers (2012), Benda Kaalu on Toast in Kannada appeared in 2012, and was published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in English as Boiled Beans on Toast, in 2014.
HAYAVADANA - RFB
In 1972, it won both the annual Sangeet Natak Akademi award and the Kamaladevi Award of the Bharatiya Natya Sangh, for best Indian play.
NAGA-MANDALA Sources and Plot - RFB
Naga-Mandala (1988), which came seventeen years after Hayavadana, can be considered a companion play because it creates variations on many of the same themes.
UNIT 30 Habib Tanvir’s Charandas Chor
Born in Raipur, Madhya Pradesh on September 1, 1923; graduated from Morris College, Nagpur in 1944; then started his career in Mumbai at an ammunition factory; wrote for films in Mumbai; joined Progressive Writers’ Association (PWA) and became an integral part of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) as an actor in 1945
‘The breakthrough came in 1973, during a month-long nacha10 workshop that Tanvir conducted in Raipur. More than a hundred folk artists of the region participated, along with several observers including university students and professors from Raipur and folklorists and anthropologists from Delhi and Calcutta…The production which was thus created was called Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damaad, an almost wholly improvised stage play.’
Tanvir, using detailed and intense improvisations, enabled the rural performers to freely perform in their own language and style, rather than imposing the methods used by trained urban actors, directors and theatre-makers.
Charandas Chor is based on a Rajasthani folktale by very eminent writer-folklorist Vijaydan Detha and he had documented it from the oral cultural tradition of Rajasthan.
. A man who makes you laugh. Endears himself to you, and whom you do not wish to die, dies and you (suddenly) see why. And the meaning emerges, an anti-establishment meaning. I think people like that kind of catharsis. They are intrigued. I do not think I would have gained that kind of popularity without this end. Had the protagonist survived, the play wouldn’t have survived.’
Our hero, Charandas, the chor is an honest and truthful individual, who will put his life at risk but not break the vows he made. Unlike the so-called thief in the modern context, our Charandas amassed rice from the penny-pinching landlord and give it to the ravenous peasants. A man of principles, he is an ardent believer of social justice and supports the downtrodden.
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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