Date: 13/07/2017
Time: 2:30 pm
Venue: Indira Gandhi National Centre For the arts-Regional Centre Ranchi, Ranchi
Abstract of Lecture – The Santhal Oral Tradition and Its Cultural Aspects
This Presentation attempts to closely analyze the oral traditions on santhal indigenous group and its value in understanding their culture. Culture can be reconstructed through various means such as archaeological remains, written texts and oral tradition. India has a legacy of oral tradition from vedas to mantras everything was oral and aural sruti and slokas. The santhals have no written scripture or documents on their religious belief and culture. So, in the absence of text are they to be considered people without history? No. this paper argues against such a reductionism. Though they have no written documents they are quite rich in oral traditions and a variety of genres such as Kahni (Stories), Kudum (Riddles) , Siring (Songs), Rar (Raga) , bentakatha (Euphemism), Menkatha(Idiom), Gidrabauli (Lullaby),Binti (Prayers), Bakher (Chanting of Hymns) etc can be seen . Oral tradition can be understood better as the phase of socital evolution. It is in intangible in nature and is a very abstract form of knowledge passed from generation to generation through word of mouth often through mother to daughter , father to son and so on so forth. In the absence of the written script oral tradition has been the only medium to preserve the knowledge and history of Santhals. This Talks would unfold santhal culture in its numerous dimensions such as religious belief, social system, mural art, songs, ragas, dance etc.