29. Dr. Nidhi Singh

Abstract 29. Dr. Nidhi Singh

Literary Tradition in Rajasthan: 

Exploring the Note of Dissent in Folktales

Abstract

There exists a rich repository of literature in India from different regional groups and dialects. Rajasthan too has a vibrant literary tradition and folk culture rooted in local experience. Folktales provide the palimpsest of the individuality of local strains that tend to be homogenized when, for example, Rajasthan is perceived as an undifferentiated regional mass within Indian nation. The intra-regional specificities arising from ecology of land, the geographical and climatic environment, the historical process as well as feudal polity and traditions get reflected in folktales of Rajasthan. It emerges as the ‘symbolic language’ of the populace, providing pleasure as well as guidance. It establishes an alternative system of knowledge that makes accessible to untrained mind the complex mainstream knowledge systems through employment of local idiom.

 Urbanization and industrialisation have resulted in decline of folk culture in terms of communal practice and participation. Folktales respond to altered socio-cultural patterns through adaptation and retellings, giving rise to variants ensuring continuity. Rajasthani folktales have been given a new lease of life by Vijaydan Detha who is collecting and inscribing them in Rajasthani. Detha’s story ‘Duvidha’ bridges the gap between the modern short story and folktale, as well as spans genres when adapted into a movie.

Literary tradition of Rajasthan reiterates its regional uniqueness. In a country as rich in geo-cultural diversity as India, regional concerns are inevitable. There is a growing fear of supra-local and regional identities undermining the national identity through dissent. Is assertion of regional identity a threat to national identity? Can conceptualisation of Indian culture and literary tradition be holistic without giving due recognition to the “little communities” and their creative endeavours? The ‘little tradition’ of folktales according to Robert Radfield, is both a product and progenitor of ‘big tradition’ that comprises of hegemonic literatures of Brahmins, Jains and Buddhists. Are the parameters set by mainstream sensibility challenged by folktales that subvert the established hierarchies? Is the note of dissent inbuilt in the very form of folktales? The paper will attempt to explore these issues with special reference to Vijaydan Detha.