Indian Folklore in Colonial and Post Colonial World

Indian Folklore in Colonial and Post Colonial World Dr Saheb Khandare Principal, M. P. College, Palam Dist. Parbhani (Maharashtra) India Abstract History of folklore conveys that folklore is the assimilation of human sensations, feelings, philosophy of life, material culture and lore since time immemorial. Folklore is always dominated by the social, cultural, economical and the political consequences with the flow of human life. This research paper reviews the tradition of Indian folklore and British based folklore studies in India. Moreover, the research paper reveals the nature, scope, studies and the corrade of postcolonial folklore in India and its applications. The prime objective of this research paper is the comparative study of pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial Indian folklore. Finally, it ends with suggestions for theoretical reorientation breaking down the rigid distinction between masses and classes. Key Words: Indian Folklore, Colonialism, Post colonialism, Comparative Study, Positioned Subjects. Indian Folklore in Colonial and Post Colonial World Dr Saheb Khandare K. K. M. College, Manwath Dist. Parbhani Pin 431505 (Maharashtra) India Scanning the available literature and evidences on world folklore, one fine evidence we find is that India has been a renowned subcontinent for folklore from primitive era. It is crystal clear that all types of folklore came into existence with the development of human society. Material culture, verbal folklore, performing folklore, psycho-folklore and magical folklore, (i.e. folk science) are the major kinds of folklore. These all are found in developed nature at the Sindhu cultural period of India that is 5000 B.C. Since the period, all types of folklore are transferred from generation to generation by oral transmission, that’s why; the orality is the basic peculiarity of folklore. At first, the Sindhu folk had collected the folklore material like narrative songs in the nature of Gatha, then after that the Vedic people had collected lyrical folk tales in the nature of Sukta in written form. This followed the intellectual persons like Valmiki and Vyasa, who compose the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively with the support of folk tales, which were famous in various folk of India. The well known Indologist, V. K. Rajwade accepted the Vedic literature in the sense of ‘established pure tales in folk’, it means the tales which are found in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, the Smritis, the Darshanas, and the Puranas etc. are prevented of folk tales of the pre-Vedic Indian folk. Apart from the contribution of the epics the credit of collection and its pragmatic application goes to Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira. These great philosophers quite used the folk tales for the exposition of philosophy and religious propaganda. Lord Buddha preserved traditional folk tales through the Jataka and Lord Mahavira through Jain Churnis. In the nearest period, the followers of Buddha and Mahavira like Mahidas, Markandey, Vararuchi, Gunnadhya, Somdeo, Jambu, Prabhav, Merutung and Buddhaghosh devoted their contribution of collection and preservation of Indian folk tales. It is important that, from primitive era, the Bhagat of folk and Purohit of folk religious institutes like Bhat, Charan, Sut, Maghad, Gondali, Vasudeo, Waghya-Murli etc. were also played very vital role for the collection and preservation of folklore in oral tradition. These are the credential pillars of folk as well as folklore in every time of past and present. All the endeavors ware done by the people mentioned above that’s for oral collection and preservation of Indian folklore. Apart from Ramayana and Mahabharata, very graceful collection of folk tales was done by Gunadhya in his famous book Badhahakaha, (i.e. Brihatkatha) in Paishachi language. That was first folk tales collection in written form in India. After that, Vararuchi and other Jain devotee collected various folksongs and tales in written form and began to use them in the Jainism. In the similar period, B.C.500 years, Buddhaghosh, the Buddhist monk reaches to Sri Lanka on the order of Rewat Mahathero, for the study and research of Buddhist literature.1 He translated Jatakas from Sinhala and edited in Pali language. This is the notable contribution of Buddhaghosh to Indian folk tales. During the long periods, starting from first century to eighteenth century, the Indian folklore flowed with the life of folk in all manners. Each and every generation of the period impacted on the then contemporary streams of folklore and transferred to next generation through oral transamination. In this period, the life of Indian folk was suffering from political instability as well as religious plethora. In this period, the Vedic dominance had increased and the divisions of the Vedic and the folk culture had come in to existence in the Indian society. But, the Indian folk ware stuck with the life and lore. They carried out folklore with the life and invented it as per the need of the time, because folklore itself the stream of the life. In the upcoming period, a rift of elite and folk had increased in Indian society and due to the Chaturvarna system Brahman and their Vedic culture always come to the fore front, consequently, the folk and their culture throw away on back foot. In eighteenth century, the British came to India (1757), at last in the beginning with the intention to trade, but fortune the traders in to rulers.2 In the supplement the great poet Rabindranath Tagore says that, ‘‘the balance beam of the traders was transformed into the rod of the kind as soon as the night was over.’’ 3 Any way, the British came to India and took place of the emperor due to favorable circumstances and ruled almost completely consolidated in India up to 1948. The British must be regarded as constituting one of the development periods in the past history of Indian rulers expected some exceptions like, Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra. So, by the end of the nineteenth century, conditions throughout India appeared to be much more satisfactory than before. Of course, it cannot be denied that the purpose of the British rulers in India was based on exploitation, exploitation in the sense that the rulers cared more for the interest of Great Britain that for that of India.4 But at the same time, we cannot ignore achievements in the fields of economy, industry, education, social development and political reshape during the period of British rule. Those who set about scientifically collecting folklore materials in India were a various crews like administrative officers, women relatives of the officers and the missionaries. In order to make suitable changes in administrative practices, officers began to make ethnological studies in their respective areas of India. They studied languages, customs, ceremonies, rituals, myths, legends, and habits etc. through the folklore of particular areas, where they had been working. In this reference, Mr. Ashraf Siddhique noted that, ‘‘with the gradual consolidation of British power in India, the rulers felt that the people being ruled should be understood. For the missionaries, it was necessary to know the language, religions, superstitions and customs of the country in order to preach effectively. They read the religious books of the Hindus and Muslims thoroughly, and wrote and debated on the various aspects of native religions and superstitions. Thus both British officials and the missionaries collected folklore materials in order to better their acquaintance with the structure of Indian society.5 Admittedly, the first collection of folk narratives directly from oral tradition was undertaken by Mary Frere, a daughter of the Governor of Bombay and published in 1868 under the title Old Deccan Day’s in London. Before this, many of the British officials collected a verity of folklore material from various parts of India and published in the reports of administrative offices. A few oral folk tales had been published in books of description like, Thomas Bacon’s Oriental Annual (1842, London), Caleb Wright’s India and its Inhabitants (1856), Sir William Sleeman’s Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official (1844, London). In 1859, the Reverend S. Hislop worked with aboriginal tribes of the central provinces of India. He studied the languages of the Gond aboriginal tribe of Nagpur and made a collection of their folklore. On the references of collected folklore, he wrote a research paper namely, Aboriginal Tribes of Central Province and read before the British Association. Sir Richard Temple edited and published the paper in 1866. It was the notable presentation of folklore collection. As Hislop recorded the legends, tales and popular songs of Gond aboriginal tribe, Temple translated them in to English with the version of the Gondi language. This methodology of collection was applied in the studies of folklore collection at first and it was introduced by Sir Temple. On this background, work of Mary Frere, Old Deccan Days published in 1868. Mary Frere, a daughter of Governor of Bombay, when she was bored and lonely on an administrative tour, her nursemaid, Anna de Souza to tell her folk tales. Anna was belonging Indian Lingayat and convert to Christianity. Her tales were Hindu folk tales once she had heard from her grandmother. She retold the tales to Mary Frere. About this, Mary Frere wrote that, ‘‘One day, being tired of reading, writing, and sketching, I asked Anna, my constant attendant, whose caste (the Lingayet) belonged to the part of the country that we were traversing, if she could not tell me a story? This she declared to be impossible. I said, 'You have children and grandchildren, surely you tell them stories to amuse them sometimes?' She then said she would try and remember one, such as she told her grandchildren, and which had been told her by her own grandmother when she was a child; and she told me the story of Punchkin'; which was subsequently followed by the others that are here recorded.’’6 Taking in to consideration of Mary’s statement, the collected tales were direct from the leady, which was a part of folk life. And second one, Mary’s translation of the tales is not refined. The tales were retold to her in broken English and she tried to mention the narrator’s style as far as possible. This is very important peculiarity of the collection. At the time passed, administrative officers and the missionaries turned over to peasant and aboriginal for the collection and study of their folklore. William Rose King, an administrative officer studied the life and lore of aboriginal tribe of the Nilgiri Hills and done a pioneer work in the area of ethnology. He read a paper on the folklore and life of hilly tribe under the title Aboriginal Tribal of Nilgiri Hills before the anthropological society of the London in 1870 and it was published by the society in the journal of anthropology in the same year. Another one administrative officer Thomas Lewin studied the life and folklore of the tribal people like the Chakma and the Tipperah who were lived near the rivers of Eastern part of Bengal and published a book entitle Wild Races of South-Eastern India in 1870. In 1874, Richard Temple gave a new direction to the study of folklore in India. He published first volume of the Legends of the Punjab as well as the notable articles like, The Science of Folklore and North Indian Proverbs in folklore journal’s III and IV volume correspondingly. Temple’s three volumes of Legends of the Punjab stand out as a landmark for its careful attention to the actual performed text. Temple collected many of kinds of folklore like legends, folktales, folk songs, proverbs, narrative songs etc. and made broad canvas for the study of Indian folklore through the prestigious work. One native novelist and Hindu convert missionary Rev. Lal Behari Day from Bengal impressed by Richard Temple’s prestigious work in the field of Indian folklore and being a suggestion of Temple he make a collection of unwritten women’s folk tales from Bengal. His folktales collection published in 1883 under the title Folktales of Bengal at London. Mr. M. Islam, a famous folklorist say about the Day’s collection that, ‘‘…this collection is still regarded as a classic. But Day’s method of recording was vague as he never gave information about his informant.’’7 But infect Rev. Day collected the tales which was heard from old women in his childhood. He gave a reason of recollection of the tales in his preface of the book. He explain that, though he had heard thousands of fairy tales from an old women in his childhood, these were how all scrambled in his memory; he had moved, it would seem, out of the ‘folk’ category and thus had to start recollecting afresh.8 Taking in to consideration of Day’s explanation it is clear that his view of collection was a clear as well as authentic view. Very famous book, Folklore of the Santal Pargana published in 1909 by C. H. Bompas, a civil officer. He collected plenteous folklore material from Santal Pargana. Bompas gave a script in original language of collected folklore i.e. Santali as well as English version. With the studious preface, he supplemented important footnotes and glossaries. It was the best example of the folklore study. In the period of 1880 to 1920, many of the colonial scholars engaged in the study and collection of Indian folklore. Works of the scholars are outstanding as well as directional to the Indian folklore studies. Various kinds of folklore collected and studied by the scholar in this period. Same important title of the published books as: Science of Fair Tales (1861) by Sydney Hartland, Indian Fair Tales (1878) by Joseph Jacob, The Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion (1879) by John Dowson, Folklore of the Santhal (1884) by J. L. Phillips, Bihar Peasant Life (1885) by Sir George Grierson, Tales and Poems of South India (1885) by Edward Robinson, Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs (1885) by James Knowles, Folktales of Kashmir (1888) by R. C. Temple, Indian Fairy Tales (1889) by Mark Thornhill, Group of Eastern Romances and Stories (1889) by William Alexander Clouston, The Hand Book of Folklore (1890) by Jorge Gomme, The Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India (1893) by William Crooke, Marathi Proverbs (1899) by Alfred Manwaring, The Romantic Tales from Punjab (1903) by Swynnerton, Romantic Tales of the Punjab (1904) by William Rouse, Folktales of the Central Province (1906) by Mideren N. Chiltanan, Oral Tradition from India (1908) by William Crooke, The Garos (1909) by Major Alan Playfair, The Naga Tribes of Manipur (1911) by Hodson, Sport and Folklore in Himalaya (1913) by H. L. Hougton. These are the some notable books published up to 1920, on the account of Indian folklore. The period, since 1920 to 1947, has been marked by the work of outstanding scholars, whose comparative method opened new horizon in folklore studies in India. Enthoven, an anthropologist published three volumes of Tribes and casts of Bombay (1920) after long inquiries and surveys. This was the very perfect book in the manner of methodology. Enthoven introduced a new method for collecting folklore materials and making of thesis. He approved the script of the book with the details of casts, mirage systems, birth rituals, local cults, manures, customs, songs, tales, habits etc. of the meticulous casts and tribes of Bombay region. He illustrated a correlated photos as well as auxiliary references of the casts and tribes. Another important collection of narrative published in 1922 by C. A. Kincaid under title Tales of Old Sind. Kincaid collected tales from the folk of Sind (it is now in Pakistan). Several of them were ballad styles narrative songs. Kincaid’s presentation of collection through the book and academic preface is very important for introduction of new method. Kincaid published another book, Folk Tales of Sind and Guzrat in 1925, but the tales of the book ware collected from another published books and journals. George Grierson, a renowned scholar of folklore edited Hatim’s Tales in 1923. He uses very exhaustive editing method for the volume. He included all transcriptions of translator’s original Hatim tales and has added an index of words, glossaries as well as the list of all the works of privies editors. Such type of folk tales editing was new in the contemporary scholars. The masterwork of folktales collection of India, Folk Tales of Mahakoshal, published in 1944 by Verriar Elwin with Shamrao Hiwale. Mr. Shamrao makes very vital role in the collection of folktales for the book. Elwin divided the collected tales under twenty five heads with well written foreword. Plentiful and accurate footnotes and annotations are the distinctive features of the collection. The brief index of the sources of folktales, names of informant and list of recorded tales as well as the glossary and bibliography also an indexed. Because of the brilliantly representation of the book, Elwin’s contribution to the fields of anthropology, ethnology and folklore are still unsurpassed. Apart from above mentioned scholars, many of the colonial folklorists worked on Indian folklore up to 1948 and ahead also. We saw, the nature of studies and collections of Indian folklore in the colonial period. These studies of folklore has been completed by the scholars with the connection of ethnology, anthropology, linguistics and folk literature, but the major part of folklore, which is known as a material cultural, was entirely neglected by the scholars in this period. Colonial scholars provided new methods for collection and study of folklore through their work, which were introduced by the European landmark scholars. In fact, the milestone personalities like Greem Brothers, Max Muller, Brail, Kechn, Dassent, Cox, Theodor Ben fey, etc. were the experts of mythological folktales. They were introduced significant theories and makes unique schools for the study of myths and folktales. Colonial scholars followed the schools and the theories and worked in the area of Indian folklore. So, they cannot tray to collect or study of material culture as well as other kinds of folklore of India. In 1942, Indian freedom struggle was on peak, but it was started long before this. Various Indian nationalist used the folklore and it’s aspects in the Indian freedom struggle, because folklore known as a very best weapon for the enlightenment. Taking in to consideration of importance of folklore a great nationalist poet Rabindranath Tagore founded Bangiya Sahitya Parishad in 1883, and started publishing its quarterly mouthpiece that brought together folklore from different regions in Bengal. He explained the intention of the Parishad very expressive words. He says that, ‘‘In the Sahitya Parishad, we are trying to know our country. The Parishad is searching for the spirit of the country in the epics, songs, rhymes, doggerels, legends, ritual tales, manuscripts, in the village festivals, in the ruins of ancient temples and in the huts of the hamlets ... if you prefer the silent blessings of your mother land to the left-overs from the dinner of a queen Victoria, then please stand beside these volunteers, and fulfill your patriotism by working day after day for this cause, which may not bring you money, reward, or fame.’’9 Tagore indicate the importance of folklore in the manner of nationalism and folkisum through this quotation. One of the most important functions is its service as a vehicle for a social protest, being in mind the objective of folklore many of the Indian nationalist leaders used verity of folklore accepts in the freedom struggle of India. After the period of independency, many of the Indian literal persons attracted to the folklore studies being of establishment of cultural and educational institutes and availability of journals and periodicals. The people were wandering in the area of folklore under the influences of colonial scholars, they try to collect and study of folklore on the way of them. But some of them were actually got scholarship in this field; these are Dr. Deneshchandra Sen from Bihar, Raibahadur Roy from U.P., Pandit Ramnaresha Treepathi from Gujarat, Druga Bhagwat from Maharashtra, Zaverchandra Meghanee etc. devoted their life for the collection and studies of Indian folklore. This scholars collected lots of folklore materials from their living province, but expected a learned leady Durga Bhagwat, no one can gave a notable research contribution to the field of Indian folklore in the post colonial period. One Mr. Devendr Satyrthee, well known collector of folksongs done remarkable work of songs collection, he collected near about 3 lacks of folksongs from all over India. Bela Fule Aadhirat, Dhartee Gatee Hai, Bajat Aave Dhoal, Dhire Baho Ganga etc. are very famous books of folksongs published by Devendra. In the post colonial period some countable work published by colonial scholars, that is Drums Behind the Hill (1950), Myths of Middle India (1949), The Bondo Highlander (1950), Hie Tribal Art of Middle India (1951), Tribal Myths of Orissa (1954), The Religion of an Indian Tribe (1955) etc. apart from this some other folklore work published by the scholars but it is up to the marks. Post colonial period, Indian scholars to reach the pinnacle of collection of literary folklore, but no one tried to introduce new theory or any new method for the study of Indian folklore up to 2000. Findings 1. Indian folklore was not studied as a discipline in the pre-colonial period. 2. Due to the political instability and religious plethora, the Indian folklore was not studied in the long periods, starting from first to eighteenth century, but it had flowed with the life of Indian folk. 3. In the colonial period, the then administrative officers, women relatives of the officials and the missionaries had started to collection and studies of Indian folklore. 4. Colonial scholars introduced new scholarship of Indian folklore as well as methods for the collection and study. 5. The studies and collection of Indian folklore has been done by colonial scholars in the respect of ethnology, anthropology, linguistics, and folk literature, but the material culture, a major part of folklore was entirely neglected by the scholars. 6. In the post-colonial period the study and uses of Indian folklore had been done for the horme of Independency. 7. Indian folklorists emphasized on only collection of folklore in the post colonial period. They did not introduce any new method of collection or study of folklore in the period. They were just following the then colonial scholars. So, no scholarship bring in Indian folklore up to 2000 References: 1. B. C. Law: Life and work of Buddhaghosh, p. 1-4 2. R. Misani: British in India, p.7 3. Rabindranath Tagor: Sanchayita, p.475 4. Jabez T.: Sunderland, India in Bondage, p.70 5. Ashraf Siddhique: ‘Collection and studies of Bengali Folklore’, a chapter of edited book Folklore of Bangladesh, by ----------P. 1-2. 6. Mary Frere, Old Deccan Days, 1869, p. ix – xi 7. Mazharul Islam: History of folktale collection in British India, p. 45 8. Lal Behari Day: Folktales of Bengal, 1883, p. viii 9. Haque Abu Saeed Zahurul : Folklore and nationalism in Rabindranath Tagore, p. 35 8 | Page