Unit 2

2.4 Folk Media

Meaning of Folk Media

"Folk Media" is a term used to denote "people's

performances". It describes folk dance, rural drama
and musical variety of the village people. This term
speaks of those performing arts which are cultural
symbols of a people. These performing arts pulsate
with life and slowly change through the flux of
time. During the past five decades they have been
increasingly recognised as viable tools to impart
even development messages, both as live performances as also in a form integrated with
electronic mass media. They have rightly come to be called “Folk Media" for communication.
For millions of people living in remote areas in developing countries, to whom information is
to be quickly imparted, mass media channels of sound and sight do hold a glamour but often
enough they mask the message. Therefore, a premium is now being put on traditional folk
performances which were once considered mere. museum pieces. Folk media have been
consciously persuaded to come out of their shell to give a personal touch to the otherwise
impersonal mass media programmes.

The Folk Media means the mediums through which the cultural traits passed from generation
to generation. It is born and expressed in the idiom of people's culture and has always seemed
to entertain, educate and propagate the existing ideas and attitudes

Characteristics of Folk Media:

 Indigenous in nature. Generally rural in origin. Transmitted from generation to

generation through oral means alone
 No source of confirming the authenticity of folk art. It has no grammar
 Indicates and integrates the emotional behaviour of the practicing sector
 Represents the practicing sector of region, religion, family or group that can be
 Differentiated from the other
 Limited area of operation
 Becomes victim to the on slaught of modern foreign media occasionally.

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  As long as the contents and formats satisfy psychological and social needs of people,
they will be carried forward by people themselves. Hence, the traditional media
communication can put fresh contents in folk media.
 Folk media will never die but continue in spite of several obstacles in modern age. Its
utilization has its impact even across cultural religions with blended forms and modified
contents
 Traditional folk media have their own specific language, rhythm, music, style and form
It is very much cheap, easy and convincing comparatively than modem media

Types of Folk Media

Folk media is a very useful form of communication. It exists in numerous forms and practised
in different parts of the country. Every community has its own traditional means of
communication. Although some of the traditional media maintain its originality, many of it
may not be in its original form or contents. Folk media forms were re-invented to use in modern
society.

Different forms of folk media that are used for social communication and
entertainment includes: -
 Folk theatre
 Street theatre
 Puppetry
 Fairs and festivals
 Folk dance
 Story telling
 Folk music and song
 Paintings
 Traditional motifs, designs and Symbols
 Proverbs
 Sound signals
 Traditional youth clubs or dormitory
 Traditional games

Folk Theatre

Folk theatre represents the people in their natural habitat. In folk theatre, performance themes
are related to the people’s own suffering, daily work, dreams and mythology. The initial aim
of the folk theatre is to give the first impact with sound and sight and then slowly open the
audiences‟ mental eye for the message. While performing, the actor establishes direct rapport

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with the audience. Folk theatre has been used as a channel of communication especially for
development purposes. Despites of its origin in different regional cultures and languages, it has
many common features and continues to retain its distinctive features because of its inbuilt
capacity to adjust in the society. Folk theatre like Tamasha of Maharastra, a religious folk
theatre Dashavatar of South Konkan, Nautanki of North India, Yakshagana of Karnataka, Jatra
of Bengal and Orissa, Bhavai of Gujarat, Therukoothu of Tamil Nadu, etc. are very popular
form of entertainment and are used for disseminating public messages and development themes
among the rural masses. It was used to mobilize public opinion on social and political affairs.
Satirical comments are also made on current affairs. In present days, government used folk
theatre to educate people on different issues like family planning, AIDS awareness, literacy,
health, etc. It also exposed and ridiculed the social and political evils existing in the society.

Street theatre

Street theatre is a form of

theatrical performance and
presentation in outdoor public
spaces without a specific
audience. These forms are
performed in any street corner,
street, market place, etc. In such a
situation, the audience and the
performers are on the same level,
emphasizing the fact that the
performers are not different from the audience themselves. This also leads to the establishment
of a rapport between the performers and the audience. Close eye contact with the audience is
an important element in street theatre which keeps them busy with the action of the play.
Together they feel a sense of belonging and responsibility to each other. The sole purpose of
street theatre is to motivate the audience to take a quick and required action on a particular
issue. In India, waysides, streets, village markets, open air grounds, fair sites, country yards
and other public areas have remained the ideal spaces to perform street plays. A majority of
street plays in India are based on socio-political issues. Some of these are based on current
events, others are on subjects like communalism, terrorism, police atrocities, bride burning,
dowry, caste inequalities, elections, industrial and agricultural exploitation, alcoholism,
illiteracy, drug addiction and female foeticide. In India, where there is a high degree of

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illiteracy, poverty and diversity of language and dialects, a theatre form of this sort, versatile
and adaptable, cheap and mobile becomes more important and relevant. The mobile form of
street theatre helps to reach people who normally do not go to the theatre. This suits the type
of audience it tries to reach who are mostly the poorer section for whom theatre is a luxury.
The total absence of a proper stage, lights, properties, costumes and make-up makes it even
more flexible.

Puppetry
Puppetry is also one of the effective forms of
entertainment and communication. It has fascinated
children and adults of all ages. In puppetry, puppets are
only an instrument and the actual work is done by a
puppeteer. In India, four types of puppetry are popular
namely Sutradharika (String puppets), Putul Nauch (Rod
puppets), Chhaya Putli (Shadow puppets) and Glove
puppets or hand puppets. Puppet shows draw their themes
from the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata but now
a day, it had added new themes to it and used for giving
developmental messages. For instance, puppetry was used by the Union Bank of India and Life
Insurance Corporation to arouse the interest of the rural folk in bank savings and insurance
policies.

Fairs and Festivals

Fairs and festivals are also an integral part of the cultural

life a community where every member participate
actively and enjoy together. The festivals speak of rich
cultural and traditional background of a community. It
has some performances or games related to it or some
traditional motifs and paintings. Festivals are also one
of the best forms of traditional media. Several festivals
worth mentioning are Rathayatra or Gundichayatra of Lord Jagannath Puri, Diwali, Dussehra,
Rakhi, Sivaratri, Janmastami‟ (Parmer, 1994). Fairs and festivals including social, ritual and
ceremonial gatherings created a platform to meet and exchange among the people.

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Story Telling

Story telling is another interesting form of traditional media which existed at a time when
advanced forms of communication such as a written word did not exist. A story connects us
and links the past, present and future by teaching us to anticipate the possible consequences of
our actions. These were not written or documented. Instead they were orally communicated
from person to person, a house to another or from a village to another. They kept the stories
alive. Story telling involves direct contact between the teller and the listener. It permits the
direct presentation of the story by the teller. There are stories like the Panchatantra and stories
from mythology like Ramayana and Mahabharata where local heroes have always travelled
from one generation to another by word of mouth. Story telling forms such as „Harikatha‟ and
Kabigan‟ played a vital role in communicating historical and epic stories. It reflects the local
age-old beliefs, customs and rituals. The tales are the bearers of our century’s old culture,
perceptions, values and beliefs. It links the older generation with the modern generation.

Folk Music and Song

Folk music is also considered to an

effective medium of communication.
Music has played a crucial part in everyday
life from time immemorial. „Some of the
predominant folk musical forms are Baul
and Bhatiali of Bengal, Duha and Garba of
Gujarat, Powada and Lavani of
Maharashtra, Chaiti and Kjari of Uttar Pradesh, Kolkali Pattus of Kerela, Bihu of Assam, Mand
and Panihari of Rajasthan, Rauf and Chakri of Kashmir, Sua and Dandari of Madhya Pradesh
and Mando and Dhalo of Goa.‟ (Parmer, 1994). Every community has a fondness of music and
it is the part of their culture. It has been an integral part of marriages, festivals and celebrations.
No religious ceremony is complete without music or song. Traditional music of India is the
most natural representation of the emotions of the masses. Songs are associated with every
event of life like festivals, new seasons, marriages, births, admiring nature or love ones, etc.
During the British rule, many folk music and songs were composed by poets and singers to
motivate the people against the foreign domination. Till today, we get to hear about the heroic
deeds of the past hero in the folk songs. Folk music or songs are used to spread the messages
of development as well as for exposing the social evils that exist in the society. Through folk
songs and music messages are communicated with a blend of entertainment and education.

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Folk songs are transmitted through oral tradition and so are familiar to audiences and have
positive feeling about what they hear. The music and songs are often related to national culture
and was culturally particular from a particular region or culture. Indigenous Australian like
Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders incorporates a variety of distinctive
traditional music styles of the indigenous Australian people.

Examples:
 Marathi Bhajans which are generally based on traditional ragas.

 Mand is a Rajasthani folk tune

 The Ghazal is a form of Urdu poetry that is sung. Eloquent ‘shayari’(poetry), gentle
‘mausiqui’ (music) and fragile ‘jazbaat’ (emotions) combine to create the ghazal. The music
for the Ghazal is slow paced and lyrics are often repeated twice or thrice. The first couplet of
a ghazal is area ‘matla’ and the finishing couplet is called ‘makta’. The remaining couplets
are called ‘misra’ and ‘antara’.

 Qawwali is a high-pitched and fast paced style of singing that was developed in the thirteenth
century. During that period, Sufism was becoming popular in India and Qawwali emerged
from the mystical sayings of sufi saints. The followers of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti Garib
Nawaz, the famous Sufi saint of Ajmer (Rajasthan) adopted and improvised Hindustani
classical music into what is called qawwali. Despite originally having developed from
mystical music, it later also began to include romantic themes.

Folk Dance

Dance is among the oldest forms of classical

arts with a tradition that dates back to several
centuries. Dance is a feature of every
significant occasion and event crucial to tribal
existence as part of ritual. Early dance exists
as a ritual element. Dance puts the rhythm and
movement in the play and captures audience
attention. Dancing is a way of expressing what
cannot be expressed in any other way. It is intimately interwoven with the life of people. Hand

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gestures, eye movement, posture and steps coordination with music and posture affect and
audience comprehension of the narrative and its meaning. Through history, in all early cultures
and societies, dance has been one of the foremost elements of ritual. It was the means of
perceiving the gods, of invoking them, recounting their exploits, placating them, appealing to
them or communicating with them. Fork art, music and dance also derived from the elements
of nature. For instance, Sri Lankan dances Mayana Wannama (dance of peacock), Hanuman
Wannama (the dance of monkey), etc.

Paintings
Early man was unaware of words, but he
was able to draw a picture of an animal with
a tail, a head and four legs or a human
figure. Throughout different periods of
history, we find a definite established
tradition of painting on various objects,
particularly on intimate objects of everyday
use, floors and wall, and the depiction being
associated with some ritual. Traditional
paintings of Madhya Pradesh, especially the
wall paintings of Bundelkhand, Chattisgarh, Gondwana, Nimar and Malwa are living
expressions of people, closely linked with the socio-cultural environment of the area. They are
not mere decorations but also expressions of religious devotion

Major Traditional Media Forms of India

Sr. No. State Traditional Media Forms
1. Assam Bihu, Bagurumba,
2. Arunachal Pradesh Bardo Cham
3. Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi, Kolattam, Ghantamardala
4. Bihar Jata-Jatin, Bakho- Bakhain, Bidesia
5. Chattishgarh Panthi, Raut Nacha
6 Gujarat Garba, Dandiya Ras, Padhar, Bhaval
7. Haryana Jhumar, Phag, Dhamal, Loor
8. Himachal Pradesh Kinnauri Nati, Jhora, Jhali, Dangi
9. Jammu & Kashmir Rauf, Hikat, Kud Dandi Nach, Damali
10. Jarkhand Karma

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 11. Karnataka Yakshagana, Huttari, Karga, Suggi, Dollu Kunita
12. Kerela Kathakali, Ottam Thulal, Mohiniattam
13. Lakshadweep Lava
14. Madhya Pradesh Tertali, Charkula, Jawara, Matki Dance, Grida Dance
15. Mizoram Cheraw Dance (Bamboo Dance)
16. Manipur Thangta, Dholcholom, Sumang Leela, Pena
17. Maharastra Lavani, Nakata, Koli, Gafa
18. Nagaland War Dance, Hornbill Festival
19. Odisha Odissi, Savari, Ghumara, Paiki
20. Pondicherry Garadi
21. Punjab Bhangra, Giddha, Dhaman, Dandass, Ludi
22. Rajasthan Ghumar, Chakri, Jhulan, Leela
23. Sikkim Singhi, Chham
24. Tamil Nadu Bharat Natyam, Kolattam, Therukothu, Natupura, Paatu
25. Tripura Hojagiri
26. Uttar Pradesh Nautanki, Raslila, Jhora, Chhapeli
27. Uttaranchal Garhwali, Kumayuni, Kajari, Jhora, Raslila
28. West Bengal Kirtan, Kathi, Gambhira, Jatra, Baul

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