CIKS Fellow and Researcher Nidhi Shendurnikar reflects on the rich oral cultures of India, weaving a tapestry of many forms, styles and narratives which were central to how knowledge was shared and passed on across centuries, and have left an indelible mark on the Indian civilisation. Read part one of her three-part series, and watch videos from sources talking about the importance of oral cultures.
Bharatvarsha -- an ancient civilization that has stood the test of time, evolution, human migration, foreign invasions, colonization, development, globalization and modern technology. The Sindhu-Saraswati samskriti is debatably the oldest continuing civilization. This is attributed to several factors like resilience and character of Bharatiyas, dharmic aspirations and way of life acting as a glue to keep a multicultural and plural society together. Apart from these, India’s oral traditions of conserving and transmitting knowledge across several generations through the sruti-smriti parampara are key to understanding why India is unique civilizational entity. Therefore, knowledge of the Vedic corpus and subsequently that of the Itihasas, Puranas, Upanishads, Dharmashastra was committed to oral memory, recollected and penned down for dissemination to future generations. Knowledge preserved in oral traditions in context of Bharatiya Jnana Parampara is specific, concise, structured, makes use of minimal words and syllables while employing ‘mnemonic’ presentation and information retention techniques (पाठ). This ensured that the essence of civilizational knowledge was retained and complex, nuanced ideas were effectively communicated. Indigenous knowledge systems the world over signify use of stories, poetry, songs, art, dance, paintings, puppetry etc to convey a civilizational world view. These oral traditions represent a culture, its beliefs, values and ideals both for an insider and outsider.
A rich landscape of Oral Traditions
In the landscape of oral traditions, story telling stands out for its impact on society and the cultural purpose it serves. Stories with their characters, genres, narratives, structures offer a civilizational perspective compressed in a few lines. They are a powerful medium to connect us to our past, preserve a certain perspective about life, culture and values, pass it on to succeeding generations thereby leading to societal stability.
Before the arrival of modern means of mass communication (printing press, radio, television, internet); oral transmission of knowledge was predominant and story-telling was crucial to the ancient way of life in most parts of the world from Mesopotamia, to China to India. Narrating and reading things aloud was emphasized especially in the Indian Knowledge Tradition with a focus on seeking ‘truth’ and ‘knowledge’. The story teller is an ‘influencer’ of the past.
As a cultural product, stories have traveled from one part of the world to other carrying ideas, traditions, images and belief systems of communities. Stories are tools of entertainment/leisure and knowledge dissemination. They enthuse the imagination of the listener, fascinate her and propel a creative streak.
Story tellers are astute observers of human behaviour. They use ‘rasa’ (aesthetics, emotions), characterizations to churn out interesting stories for the audience. Story telling also aids in chitta-shuddhi (purification of the mind), development of listening and language skills, promotion of scientific rigour and spirit of inquiry and exposure to varying perspectives. It allows room for creative interaction and exchange between the speaker and the listener. Stories are crucial to understanding and processing ideas, contexts, situations from a civilizational standpoint. This is especially true in an increasingly polarized, fragmented and conflict-ridden modern existence which pits tradition against modernity, individual against community and profit against values.
In the Indian tradition which places premium on Shabdpramana (scriptural/verbal testimony) and Shravana (listening to teachings) as key sources of knowledge, stories are told with a larger purpose transcending beyond the mere telling of a tale. They give room for self-reflection, open-mindedness, harmonious relationships with the ‘other’, holistic view of knowledge and a world that should move beyond binaries. Bharatiya story telling traditions reflect richness and diversity of subjects, forms, narratives, languages, cultural indicators and messaging. The Guru-Shishya Parampara (ancient Indian knowledge pedagogy) deployed story-telling to groom future custodians of traditional knowledge.
Keeping the listener at the centre
Renowned story teller, Deepa Kiran, observes that there are different categories of listeners in the Indian story telling tradition (adhamadhikari, madhyamadhikari, uttamadhikari). She says that oral story telling in India always kept the listener at the centre of the narrative -- addressing his questions, doubts, anxieties; guiding him through the process, respecting his feelings. Among the many examples of popular stories in India are -- Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchatantra, Katha Saritsagar, Amarchitra Katha, Puran Pravachan, Katha Kathan, Dastangoi, Burra Katha, Villu Paatu, Hari Katha, Kirtan, Yakshagana, Kathaiyum Paattum, Jataka tales etc. Other than the oral tradition, Indian stories are also found in other art forms like Kolam (Tamil Nadu), Muggu (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), Aripan (Bihar), Alpana (West Bengal), Rangoli (Maharashtra), Kavad (Rajasthan), and Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh).
Watch the Video: Yoga teacher and practitioner Mansa Shastry highlights the importance of oral traditions in preserving Yoga.
Many stories, many ends: Rasas, Gunas, Jnana and Bhakti
India’s civilizational stories are not limited to human beings but speak of animals, birds, rivers, trees, sun, moon (Ganga, Narmada, Jatayu, Jambavan etc). Indian stories advocate harmony with environment, respect for life, ethics and moral values, acceptance of varying perspectives (since stories are open to interpretation, revisions and different versions), sustainability, and inclusion of dharmic principles. While there are ‘prakhyata’ (known) stories, the Indic tradition of story-telling embodies ‘mishr’ (creative liberty) which is how different folk versions of our popular epics exist, observes Dr. Nagaraj Paturi, while commending ancient Indians for excelling in the field of narrative analysis. A blend of ‘bhakti’ (devotion) and ‘jnana’ (knowledge) is seen in our stories. They are evidence of how we regarded knowledge as a community endeavour since story tellers built upon pre-existing knowledge. The Indian tradition also specifies characteristics that a story teller must possess, i.e., knowledge of 64 kalas, languages, patience, eloquence, music, dharma and an attractive voice. Today, stories from our epics/scriptures have gained wider audience through a retelling using modern mass media (television, radio, literature, folk art, cinema, new media). However, the ‘family’ remains at the centre of Indian storytelling. The first story told to a child is usually by grandparents, parents, elders, followed by peers, gurus and mentors. Thus, storytelling is seen as the backbone of transmitting and popularizing complex concepts such as dharma, adharma, vivek, purushartha and integrate these in our daily lives.
Storytelling for the Future
When exploring the oral story telling traditions of India, one must appreciate the difference between what is known as modern history and ‘Itihasa’ in the IKS context. While Western and Abrahamic philosophies focus on dating history and presenting an exact chronology of events as they took place, Indian philosophy puts emphasis on the lessons and morals drawn from our past. Hence, our Itihasas and Puranas, which also comprise of stories and anecdotes are our way of knowing our civilizational past better so that we can draw lessons for our lives today. Story telling is universal. It can be found in all indigenous traditions across the world which desire to preserve their knowledge, culture and values, pass it on to future custodians and build a unique identity for themselves. Story tellers act as a bridge between the keepers of the traditional ecosystem and commoners. Oral story telling is challenging and requires skills, especially in a hyper-mediated environment where audience prefer popular means of media and entertainment over traditional storytelling. We have all grown up on ‘dadi-nani ki kahaaniyan’ (stories narrated by grandparents, elders of the house). Traditional story telling practices add meaning to our lives and identities as Bharatiyas. It is through our stories that we can learn about, embrace, and carry forward the values and ideals which inform our civilization. In the information overload age, where one faces a deluge of noise and cacophony and one struggles to make sense of one’s place in the modern, complex world; traditional story telling can be used as a healing mechanism that brings individuals and communities back to their roots. A wisdom driven information ecosystem is one that learns from it’s past to envision the future. Here is where traditional stories and folklore occupy a central position. Stories represent our intangible cultural heritage. Today, we struggle to preserve our ancient knowledge traditions. Countless oral story telling traditions are reported to be on the verge of extinction. Therefore, it is time to pause and reflect on how stories became an integral aspect of our civilizational survival, the kind of creatively rooted indigenous ecosystems that offered space to oral story-telling and how our ancients possessed the ability to examine the world around them through the holistic, imaginative and fascinating lens of stories. The spell of stories ought to be cherished, celebrated and continued!
Watch the Video: Theatre artist Aniket Pandya reflects on teh role oral traditions play in value and cultural transmission.
References:
Advaita. (n.d.). Common Sanskrit Technical Terms. UK. Retrieved from https://www.advaita.org.uk/sanskrit.htm
Balakrishna, S. (2020, October 12). The Profound Sanatana Storytelling Tradition on the Edge of Extinction: An Introduction to Our Grandmothers. Retrieved from The Dharma Dispatch: https://www.dharmadispatch.in/amp/story/culture/the-profound-sanatana-storytelling-tradition-on-the-edge-of-extinction-an-introduction-to-our-grandmothers
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Video credits:
1. Ms. Zelam Tambe: Visiting lecturer for Creative Writing ; Visual Story-telling at the
Faculty of Journalism; Communication, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and Founder of Kabhi Kabaar, a story-telling portal.
2. Mr. Aniket Pandya: Theatre artist & entrepreneur based in Vadodara, Founder -
Aniradichita, a theatre startup incubated at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
3. Manasa Sastry: Yoga Trainer based out of Bengaluru.
This blog has been created as part of the CIKS Summer Fellowship 2024. Each fellow will share a series of blog posts summarizing their projects from the fellowship. Keep an eye out for the exciting work the fellows are doing.
About the Author: Nidhi Shendurnikar
Dr. Nidhi Shendurnikar has a doctoral degree in Political Science from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat. She has close to a decade of teaching and research experience in media and communication studies and has supervised over sixty postgraduate dissertations.
For her fellowship at CIKS, Nidhi is working on tracing and documenting the Indic storytelling traditions, with a focus on the Gayana tradition of the Rathwas in Chhota Udepur in Gujarat.