We are living in an ever-changing world, and we just cannot help escaping the changing times. There are changes in almost all spheres of life. But the changes that have had an indelible impression on my mind ever since my childhood days are the ones occurring in the sphere of culture. When we were in school and even in college, the cultural scene in our locality in the western part of Odisha was entirely different from what it is today. Let me point out the following:
- Ramleela – Every year, a team from Bihar came to our locality and performed Ramleela on the chowk at night. Though we could not thoroughly understand Hindi with a Bihari accent, we enjoyed it for two weeks or so. But the team has stopped coming for a long time. What to speak of the team coming from a far-off place, even the Ramleela being performed in a nearby village has stopped altogether.
- Opera – Though opera still exists and has developed its format considerably, it has stopped coming to smaller villages and localities. Moreover, the local parties that performed mostly in rural areas have all been disbanded.
- Gaud Badi – The Gaud community of our locality performed ‘Gaud Badi’ every year on the occasion of Phalguna Purnima. They were dressed like Gopala boys and performed with the badi or stick. But it has suffered a setback after the demise of the elderly people of the community and is not a regular affair now.
- Drama – At a time when the popularity of cinema was at its peak, a group of interested youth in our locality performed stage drama every year. They even sold tickets to get some finances towards their production costs, and people also showed interest in buying tickets and enjoying the shows. But what to speak of our locality, even in our city, the regular staging of drama has totally come to a stop. Drama has survived only in the form of drama competitions organised by certain dramatic clubs every year.
- Dulduli – The traditional Dulduli music, which has been present in the area for centuries and was a must on festive occasions and in marriages and other functions, is gradually declining in use, though not totally out.
- Circus, Mini Circus, Rope Girl, and Magic – In our childhood days, and even till we entered college, we enjoyed such shows. Magicians did come to our school and college and performed shows. But all this is becoming a thing of the past.
- Pala, Daskathia, Danda, Sanchar, Banibutal, and Sankirtan – These folk song and dance forms, which were a regular feature on festive occasions and in various functions, are gradually fading away from the scene.
- Gungunnatia and Sarmangala – Persons with bulls that nodded their heads and said yes or no on listening to people’s problems, and a goddess ‘Sarmangala’ who dropped her bangles on a ‘parat’ placed below the ‘khatli’ on which she sat, are no longer to be seen.
- Ghupkudu, Ektara, and Folk Instruments – Traditional folk instruments like Ghupkudu, Ektara, and others, which have been in use for centuries in the state of Odisha, providing livelihood to professionals and artists, are gradually losing their existence.
- Elephants, Camels, Snake Charmers, and Mud Tupa – Persons riding elephants and carrying camels earlier moved from village to village but have stopped their visits. At present, they seem to have been confined to tourist places. Snake charmers and persons trying to attract people’s attention by concealing their heads under the soil, called ‘Mud Tupa,’ have also become rare.
- Baiscope, Kathputli, Bagh, and Gai Nach – Baiscope with a big box showing pictures of tourist places, popular actors, and actresses, Kathputli or puppet shows, and persons in the guise of tigers and cows moving from place to place for a livelihood are also facing extinction.
We have made rapid progress and will continue to do so in the future. In this age of a global village, we have also been subject to foreign influence on our culture, which is but natural. To keep pace with the changing world outside, we have to accept the changes. But staying away from our roots will not make India what it is in the world outside. Our culture makes us unique and second to none.
When I harp on the past and my experiences, it makes me feel that we have been staying away from our culture. The influence of western culture, new and latest sources of entertainment, disinterest of the new generation in family traditions and professions for risks in a livelihood, the breakup of the joint family, migration to urban areas for greener pastures, and indifference of people to indigenous culture under alien and western influence are the prominent reasons for this sorry state of affairs.
Respect for our roots, interest of the new generation in family traditions at least as a side profession, involving artists in cultural functions of the government, patronage to art and culture by the government, deploying folk and traditional artists in functions, festivals, and ‘sarvajanina pujas,’ and last but not the least, people’s love and interest in the great Indian culture and traditions may save the situation from growing worse day by day. The new generation has a pivotal role to play in this regard.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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