Cultural History And Emergent

Dalit Alternatives
By Goldy M. George

03 June, 2005
Countercurrents.org

Human life is incomplete and impossible without cultural identity, which is the essence of human
dignity. In the past people lived together in community. They had genuine feeling of love, caring,
sharing and co-operation towards their fellow beings. Their life was also influenced by the natural
factors like blowing wind, flowing water, songs of birds, voice of animals and other natural
phenomena. Thus, they developed the use of a combination of various sounds to signify different
things. In a course of time, this could have led to the evolution of language and music. During this
period consciously or unconsciously, a life style and culture evolved in ways that were unique to
each little community.

Gradually, with the passage of time caste discrimination seems to have arisen. The cultural art
forms and the skills became the profession and monopoly of certain communities. For instance
the Brahmins as teachers, Kshyatrias as warriors, Vaishyas as traders and Shudras as servants.
There was of course another set of people who were not even designated within the Varna
structure and they were the Avarnas. Under the hegemony of Brahmins and other upper caste
Hindus, the Avarnas and Shudras were obliged to them in every aspect. They worked hard in the
fields of the upper caste, illams (bungalows) and served the high caste without getting anything in
return or with very little and unjust remuneration. This had deep effects on their whole life and
culture. Their strumming and drumming depended upon the mercy of the upper caste. In other
words their cultural rights were governed by the will and whims of the Brahmins and they
performed accordingly during festivals, ceremonies, rituals and other celebrations of the upper
caste. Also this was the period when religious input from the Hindu mythology entered into these
art forms. Traditional communities performing Ramayana and Mahabharata are some of the
ultimate results of this age. The domination of a particular caste had influenced the values and
diverted the culture and art forms of the indigenous communities from its origins. Consequently
the cultural and art forms of the traditional communities became the culture of the oppressed and
outcastes.

Later, when these folk arts took some concrete shape, a wave of Brahminisation of the cultures,
and communities took place. This was considered as the sanctification of peoples culture and
their art forms. Most of the gestures and postures from the folk arts were transplanted into a new
fabrication with extreme polish known as the classical art. The classical arts were framed to
please the aristocrats and high class. Thus, ancient cultural arts have two forms; folk and
classical. The classical arts were for the aristocrats, whereas folk art remains as the life-
expressions of every community. Moreover, the classical arts are performed and enjoyed by only
a few, but in the folk art, the whole community contributes and participates. In this process the
history and tradition or cultural ethos of various ancient communities disappeared. For example,
the real tradition and cultural ethos of Tellis, Kurmis (non-tribal), Rawats, Patels, etc. in Central
India still remains as major question. This is mainly because they remained as service-rendering
communities from ages immemorial. Now they have assimilated the culture and arts forms from
different cultures from their respective locality. Feeling pride by justifying themselves as part of
the higher caste is quite vibrant among these communities. There are many such communities in
India whose history is unknown.

Consumerism and manipulation of media

Today, with the emergence of capitalism the class differentiation grew among the people and took
a dramatic turn. In an age of globalization and marketization, the life values sustained through the
community life and love are constantly diffusing and substituted with competition. Globalisation is
nothing but the spreading of capitalistic regimes all over the world controlled by a few.

Natural environment and traditional values are being hammered in the name of progress and
development. Any system, which allows greed to grow and selfishness to spread is a severe
threat to human existence. This growing trend had badly influenced human life and culture.
Eventually, a new culture of commoditization and consumerism has emerged within the last few
decades - breaking the community life and cultural identity of masses.

Media, which is also meant to be a means of expressing the cultural and art of the masses, has
also played a major part in legitimizing and disseminating this anti-life culture. The electronic
media and mass communication have become the evangelists of consumerism. People have
completely lost their control over media. The present system of globalization is constantly
snatching away peoples rights over media, by making it target-centred than people-centred.
Detailed studies had vividly clarified these in the last few years. Close studies states that the
system has variedly manipulated the human life through the media. This range from
entertainment programmes to the advertisements the main object is not just to manipulate the
human minds but also to capture the global market. For example, the main intention behind the
anti-aids campaign through the television is not really meant to protect and prevent the masses
from this deadly disease, but rather to sell the products like disposable syringe, needles,
condoms, anti-pregnancy pills, etc. This opens doors to the Multi-national sectors and provides
them easy entry into the national economy. This denudation of culture had ultimately led to the
emergence of market-gods.

Emergent Dalit Alternative

The folk arts are completely controlled by people and even in the classical forms the people have
some control on the performance. But today people lost their control over art and media due to
the invention of electronic media and blind rush after modernization.

Therefore, it is very essential to develop alternative media to counter the electronisation process
and to ensure proper communication of ideas as well as to foster the traditional Dalit-Adivasi art
forms to preserve the community life and the sense of oneness. Since both the processes are of
equal importance, it has to go in parallel. Alternative media will remain as the protective-fence
and folk art and culture will give a new meaning to the life.

In the last few decades there is a quest among the Dalits to give a new meaning to their cultural
art forms like Parayattam, Kaniyattam, Thaeim, Pulyapattu, Gandabaja, Panthi etc., affirming their
liberation. Their singing, drumming, strumming and dancing are re-defining their perspective. On
the other hand alternative communication like third theatre, street theatre, puppet show, etc., is
also widely spreading. Dalits search for alternative media is in fact the search for a counter-
culture, that will stand as a paradigm to protect human existence; re-write history and evolve a
new culture of love and caring. Let this be a historical milestone from where we reiterate our
march towards equality and justice, self-respect and harmony.

Goldy M. George is a Dalit-Adivasi activist currently working as the Convener of Dalit Study
Circle in Chhattisgarh. He is also the General Coordinator of Dalit Mukti Morcha, Chhattisgarh