1 I F COSITMPIATIoN oN ART, ATSTHTTICS AND CurruRr I a I Contents 1. Folklore and Contemporary Society Dr. Shoiab Ahmsd Bhat 2. Folklore as Micronarratives in the Postmodern 1 Discourse 10 Animesh Biswas 3. 4. Fluid Genres, Inaccurate Histories: The Intersection between Indian Epic Folklore and Hagiography RajDas Modemization and the Decline of Folk Art 20 29 Tridib Khan 5. Shakespeare in Indian Folk Theatre: Contextualising a Contemporary Theatrical Adaptation of Romeo and Arnab Chakraborty ]uliet ored :nic, 6. Trilogy 41 Parimal Kumar this ,qher Rephrasing Myths into Folktale: A Study on Amish Tripathy's Shiva >rior 36 7. Children's Literature and Folk Culture: a Study of A. K. Ramanujan's Folktales from India 49 Tqsnoaa Sarmin 8. Kesariya to Rangabati: A Reflection of Folkloresque in the Contemporary Indian Music Ayantika Chakraborty 60 9. Ghosts in Bengali Folktales: Looking for Subaltem Cultural ldentities Dr. Sreemoyee Sarkar €t AnirbanDebsarmn 'Folk 10. tourism'- A Significant Expression of Cultural Rhythm: A Case Study of Panchmura Village, Bankura Atanu 69 77 Sen 11. Padavali Kirtan: A Performing Art of Bengal 9g Tama Debnath €t Dr. Rabindrq Bharali 12. Mela: A Picture of Bengal's Syncretistic AliyaHalim Tradition 106 I Ghosts in Bengali Folktales: Looking for Subaltern Cultural Identities Dr. Sreemoyee Sarkar* &Anirban Debsarma** of people 'Folktale' is a combination of two words, 'follC i'e', a grouP etc' and occupation the even or language rf."t*i a cornmon religior; ,tale, is the stories of difflrent ge#e tf,at have been passed down from the ancestors of that particular group of people to the younger Senerations' collective Folktale is a particular subs-et of 'fo1klo."' which specifies the the'*yth' with associated subject particular a on wisdom or knowledge whichin-tum is an important mode of human communication, teachinp tradition knowledge, and learring (Gupta 3); whigh is rooted in some call itJ own. Alan Dundes states that folklore includes that the f.orrp "u, folktales, jokes, proverbs, riddles' chants' charms' *ythr, iug"rrdt, -*rr"t, oaths, insults, retorts, taunts, teases' toasts' tongueblessings, twisteri and greeting and leave-taking formulas. It also includes folk medicine, folk costume, folk f,ance, Iotk drama folk art, folk belief, folk metaphors' folk similes' folk speech, folk instrumental music, folksongs, gestures' games/ contains also forms folkiore and names (3)' His list of quilt recipes' food etymologies, jokes, folk practical symbols, prayers, vendols street types; fence and bam, house, designs, and embroidery cries; and even the traditional conventional sounds used to summon animals or to give them commands (Dundes 5). As a part of these vast folklore trad.idons, folktales include a blend of stories viz. adventure stories, legends indebted in historical tales, fairy tales and ghost stories, that have"passed down to us verbally from generation to generation. Though many of them are now be found in a written format, folktales the are frim anonymous authors and there are often many versions of Hence cultures. same tale, both within one culture and across different impact as a branch of the folklore literary tradition, folktale plays a huge universal. mostly remain folktale on culture, yet the main elements of -* Faculty of History, National University of Study and Research in Law, RanctLi, +* fharkhand Assistant Professor, Dept. of Performing Arts, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi & 70 rsBN 978-81-949267-4'O Folktales usually consist of human beings as main characters, sometimes having special po-"rr, supematural elements, actiory justice, generally endin[ on a happy note and they provide the listener with a moral lesson well. Folktales are very poprriui as they explain things that are difficult a to understand, to discipline and to deter childrery continuing to create sense of cultural identity (Dundes 4). Early colonial Bengal saw the extensive collection and documentation of Indian folklore [t6rature by the civil servants of the East India Company as part of their officiaI records. oriental academic institutions like Asiafrc so"luty, Theosophical society etc. published numerous articles on popular legends and indigenous popular and folk narrafives as part of tfr"i. Indol-ogical studies in ethnography, anthropology, mythology etc. Sadhana Naittranl has observed that the tendency to procure Indian knowledge changed mostly after the Revolt of 1857; as it believed that the massrive anti-Britishuprising was largely possible due to the'toded" interaction between the sepoyJ and peasant rebels using folk tales and symbols (40). Since the late nineteenth century, along with the natal national consciousness, some Bengali westem-educated intelligentsia got involved in the quest for legends and folktales and started documenting the content and presenting itr"^ to the colonial urban population. Partha Chatterjee ,".ognir", thii trend as that the Bengali western-educated intelligentsia w"as trying to establish a link of "equivalence, similarity, and their adj acelnry, substitutaUitity' between their contemporary writings by Therefore, tradition. literary European the of p"i.ui.r"i ,rderstanding knowledge" the with "prior a relationship in tly ioing so, they *"r" "orrrtut ,r"rriorls of tire coloni r"r" - ilink established horizontally between rural as Bengalandthewestemcanonicalknowledge,receivedthroughcolonial edulatiorU creating a notion of an "anadrronistic presenf'. fowever, spaciotempord nlunces of a large amountof social history and cultural identities in between have not been acknowledged (Chatterjee L1). in The present work seeks to trace the representation of the ghosts folktales Bengali of such folktales through the premises and testimonies (1881), "Thakurmar as collected rn,,Ban{lar Roopkatha, by Lal Behari Dey (1907), "Tiakurdar in"ti" ',,Dadamoshayer lhuli" (1909), "Thandidit Thole" Thole,, (1913) by (1909)' Dakhshinaranjan MTtra,,,Bhushandir Ta1es" by S-uniti Debi like Trailokyanath writers of_other works (192g).Cfrori, maae *ay to the Tagore Rabindranath Raychaudhuri, Kishore ivtukhopadhyay, Upendra reproduced and recreated' revisited, who and Abanindranath Tagore (Paul 157)' Bengali folktales intendlng a'Rousseavian Romantic Revival' t&otlrr" geZ6) by Rajshekhu, "Bhoot mearrs But,, and "hrdian Fairy ,ghosf in Bengali both 'pLst' and adr.td Pret- means ,spirit, in the literal sense of the terms. They are believed to be the souls tndion Folklore : Contemplation on Art, Aesthetics and Culture 7L of an unsatisfied human who has died in unnatural and abnormal humans can also than other and creatures animals circumstances. Other ghosts other several types, these two from ghost. Apart into a be tumed the socio-cultural part in integral an and play attributes unique have beliefs of the people living in the geographical and ethnolinguistic region of Bengal both in the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent nation of Bangladesh. For example, Petnis are the female ghosts having unsatisfied desires. They inhabit tamarind or streblus asper trees and are shapeshifters. They take any appearances to get their work done. Shnakchunnis are the ghosts of a young, widowed woman, living near water bodies, and are clad S l: e in white saree. They Prey on prosperous married women to enjoy the married life and satisfiz their unfulfilled urges of married Life. Brahmadaityas are brahmin ghosts, clad in white dhoti, living on banyan or pipal tree. They are known for their benevolence, wisdom, and determination. Mechho Bhoots lives near water bodies fulI of fish. They love to eat fish and known for asking for fish to get a safe passage. They are even ill-reputed to steal fish from kitchens of the nearby households or the fishing boats. Gechho Bhoots live in trees and strikes the lonely passers-by at will. Mamdo Bhoots are the Muslim ghosts known to be very violent and merciless. Ekanores are limp ghosts living in palm trees and hunting on small children. In addition to that Nlshls i.e. Night Spirit luring the victim at night in the voice of a loved one. Skondhokatas, the headless ghost, Pnechapnechis consuming their victims in a shape of an owf Atoshi Bhoots i.e. Will- o'-the-wisp, Begho Bhoots, the ghosts of the people eaten by the tigers etc. make up the spectrum of the Bengali folktales found in the above-mentioned texts and continues to the part of the modem-day urban legends of geographical Bengal. This paper further pursues and gauges the subaltern cultural identities of these ghosts and supematurals as depicted in the popular Bengali folktales contributing not only to their socio-cultural beliefs and superstitions but also to their psycho-social behaviour and the collective unconscious. Meanwhile'subaltemity'is a position "where social lines of mobility, being elsewhere, do not permit the formation of a recognizable basis of action" (Gramsci 210). The term 'subaltem' applies to the 'inferior ranks' of the society constructed on class, caste, gender etc. Antonio Gramsci has articulated that "Knowledge of the subaltem classes relates to real men, formed in specific historical relations, with specific feelings, outlooks, fragmentary conceptions of the world, etc., which are the result of 'spontaneous combinations of a given sifuation of material production with the 'fortuitous' agglomeration with it of disparate social elements" (220). The insufficiency of this 'classness' characteristic, the autonomy, the spontaneity and the consciousness of the subaltem can be formed in 72 ISBN 978-81-949267-4-O multifarious ways (Elagovan 19), can be informal or formal, insignificant or significant, sporadic or substantial, or all at the same time. Though the concept was initially used from a strong political perspective against subordinatiory the present work tries to recognize the subordination mechanisms within the realm of ghosts in the afore-mentioned domain of Bengali folktales and re-produce the social narratives so that the subalterns of the society can be seen as a part of it, and the culfural and traditional identity of those ghosts in Bengali folktales are acknowledged. Bengali folktales and Bengali cultural identity are intertwined in such a way that ghosts depicted reflect the culture it sets in. As the folk viz. 'the people' are carefuI about the ghosts viz. 'the past'i.e. the vices and virtues of different hierarchical social groups, their subordination and oppression are conscious of the fruits of such subordinatiory and oppressive roles of the 'living' stakeholders. For example, the general perception of women being lustful and fickle therefore resort to tricks to seek vengeance or fulfil their whims and fancies. At the same time social evils like Child Marriage, Gauri Daan, Kaulinya Pratha, Satidaha, absent of the socio-legal provision of Widow Remarriage and denial of Property Right to Women caused severe social marginalisation of the Hindu widows. Many young widows used to commit suicide to get rid of such a painful life in the name of austerity, penance/ psycho-social abuse and sexual exploitation. This is reflected in the Shnakchunnis whose insatiable desire to enjoy a prosperous married life, make them pray on married women. Hence the folktales codify Bengali women's sexual practices by segregating one section of women from their socio-cultural moorings. Ratnabali Chatterjee has tried to show how women were transformed from social beings into criminals through a negative act of commodificatiory as well as victims at a later stage of their life through the British Empire (65). An elaborate code of socialisation was thus devised for the women to enfllre that they fitted into the patrilineal, patrilocal family struchre of caste Hindu Bengal . @agcht2214) hrterestingly, the female ghosts too, could not trespass such gruelling gender disparity, vitiating social subaltemity and social vulnerability of marginalisation. Meanwhile, Brahmins lived a very humble life but enjoyed the highest social ranking due to their wisdom, closeness to divinity and scholarship. Therefore, a brahmin ghost viz. Brahmadaityas are of dignity and enjoys the highest social echelon in the supernatural world of the Bengali folktales. On the other hand, Muslims in Bengal constituted a distinct ethnic group in terms of language, culture, and political history. In the pre-colonial Bengal, they were not only the ruling elite but also experienced a robust socio-political presence. Mamdo Bhoots in Bengali folktales, thereforg had been illustrated as violent and ruthless Muslim ghosts who kill their target by twisting their neck, affecting serious cervical fracture. Such binary lndion Folklore : Contemplation on Art, Aesthetics ond Culture j3 depiction of Brahmadaityas and Mamdo Bhoots emphasis on the scriptural abhorrence of localised socio-religious hegemony, living socio-cultural pyramid, traditions and their interaction within its cultural and historical context and had an important impact on the social-religious landscape of pre-colonial Bengal. Hitherto, following William R. Bascom thus folktales as a part of Bengali folklore traditions, validate the culture in justifying its rituals and institutions to those who perform and observe them (292). Ghosts in Bengali folktale thus is a mirror of Bengali cultural identity and incorporates details of psycho-social attitudes, as well as the expression of beliefs and social stratifications (Bascom 284). The plight of low-ranking poor rural working-class people can be heard in the descriptions of Mechho Bhoots, Gechho Bhoots, and Begfio Bhoots who had received unnatural deaths due to some occupational hazard or accident. Social exclusion of the handicapped people and the social impediments that they face in form of cultural aberration and prejudice that disable people devours on children is reflected in the portrayal of the Ekanores. while Atoshi Bhoot is the phosphorescent light seen floating on the marshes resulting from the natural gas combustion often misunderstood as elemental spirits, Nishir Daak is sleep walking frequently misinterpreted as the call of the night spirit. skondhokata and Pnechapnechi imply the dreaded social delinquents who game on travellers. Lester has observed Folktales as stories that give people a way of communicating their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their fantasies, giving their explanations of why the world is the way it is (vii). Hencefortlg these folktales and ghosts in i! like these allowed the western-educated Bengali urban youths remained rooted in its rural legary of morarity and ethics and future patriotic ambitions, within the ambit of British cuitural colonisation. Thus, these folktales are used by the Nationalist leaders during the Anti-Partition Movement starting in 190s, to propagate the principles of the movement amongst the masses. Dakhshinaranjan Mitrals coliection of Bengali folktales in "Thakurmar Jhuli" in 1907, ,,Thakurdar fuuli,, and "Thqndidir Thole" in 1909, and "Dadamoshayer Thole,, in 19'1.3, Upendra Kishore Raychaudhuri's "Tuntunir Boi" in 1971,, Rajshekhar Basu,s "Bhushandir Mathe", Suniti Debi's "Indian Fairy Tales,, in 1923, and, Trailokyanath Mukhopadhyay's "Damru Charitq,, in1922, followed the ideals of swadeshi as an indigenous altemative to the children's stories produced by Europe, The question of subalternity emerges concerning a subordinate individual or social groups of the ghost who's historical and living activity is repressed, neglected, misinterpreted or,at the margins, of hegemonic histories, discourses and social formations. Ekanore, Mechho Bhoot, Gechho Bhoot, Begho Bhoot, Skondhokata, pnechapnechi, 74 rSBN - 978-81-949267-4-O Petni and shnakchunni are the 'underclasses' i{ not 'proletariat' focusing on the aspects of socio-cultural and politico-legal subordination that are intertwined with economic oppression. subalternity represents the common theme circulating among interconnected intellectual endeavours that have offered different interpretations to the gendering of subaltemity, subjectivity, illegitimate passion, and patriarch-al agenry of pre-colonial and colonial Bengal. on the other hand Brahmaiaitya, and Mamdo Bhoot are the hegemonic groups, encompasses the traditional creation of people, socio-normative believes, customs, superstitions, and performances. The ghosts not only allowed colonised Bengalis to think of a glorious indigenous past along with its virtues and vices, own oppressions, and benevolences but also attempted to unite the Bengali Hindus and Muslims, on a constructed shared memory of a common past while subverting the sway of Puranic Hinduism to Buddhist Jataka stories and myths and local cults and cultural infusions; which according to Raymond Williams, is, after all, "afl intentionally selective version of a shaping past and a pre-shaped present, which is then powerfully operative in the process of social definition and identification (115). Furthermore, the ghosts in Bengali folktales served as a form of entertainment. These tales became not just a Bengali Hindu household treasure but also liked and cherished by their Muslim cousins. Not only did the ghosts promote group solidarity but also aid as a vehicle of social protest. It also permits the unapproved actions or words or deeds, that are forbidden to do by the normal standards of cultural behaviour and doing so validates the culture (Dundes 277).It has been creating a very crucial discourse of ethnocenkic nationalism, socio-hierarchical change alteration and continuity, cultural subaltem or hegemonic symbols, subjective and subjectivity items, and icons; hence, a continuous process of flux and is inherently dynamic. Gramsci investigated the iociety at its micro-level structure and focused on the hegemonic relationship befween the dominant and subordinates. Following tha! if we investigate elitism hegemonizing over the subalterns within the foray of Bengali folktales and the element of social stratification and subordination does not remain limited to the macro hierarchies of socio-economic class and division of labour but stretches to the micro hierarchies of social proliferation rural-urban, upper-caste - lower caste and gender roles of the ghosts. This mechanism critically reflects on the patriarchal social forces of the hegemony of sensible Brahmadaitya, and tough Mamdo Bhoat and individual-consent of the subaltern ghosts like enchantress pelni, widow Shnakchunni,limp Ekanore,hungry Mechho Bhoot, homeless Bhoot, Begho Bhoothunted and eaten felonious P ne chapne chi. by Gechho trge1, antisocial Skondhokata, and lndion Folklore : Contemplotion on Art, Aesthetics and Culture 75 it can be observed that the artistic creative imaginative of the ghosts often has some inherent inconsistenry flux, and change, yet certain principles and standards are held or challenged, to maintain the set and standard cultural values; is anonymous. If we follow |ean-Francois Lyotard's definition of postmodernism as the abandonment of master narratives in favour of Finally, process of the Bengali folktale narrative smaller, local discourses, representation's democratic impulse lies in its inclusionary practices; yet that indusion owes its power to the totalizing character of modern master narratives (52). Ghosts in Bengali folktales are deeply connected to the social process and its functioning. It cannot exjst on its own and needs to work within the context of society and community. The interaction of the living individual and his interaction in the social, cultural economic and political set up plays a pivotal role even after death (Ritchie 365). - [A "Ghosts are guilt, ghosts me seuets, ghosts are regrets and failings. But most times, most times a ghost is a wish." quote by Steven Crain from the T.V Series, "The Haunting of Bly Manor"] Thus, Bengali Folktales had references to castes of upper social hierarchy like the BrahmirU the King the Queeru the muscleman, the merchant, ruling elite or people living on felony but the caste of lower social strata was never mentioned - white saree, masquerading capabilities, physical deformity, nesting place etc. become their valid points of indicationand their articulation of the problems of untouchability have been deliberately edited out. Ghosts also function as a bridge between two cultures and folktales transmit from one culfure to another. Geographical conditions, linguistic position and social interest based on the commonality of pre-colonial and colonial livelihood influenced the emergence and perpetuation of ghosts and other supernaturals in Bengali folktales remained unaltered from an individual decision but transmitted to the next generation by a community interest of group identity (Gupta 4). Ashis Nandy has rightly pointed out how colonial conceptions of its own feudal and pagan past of Europe have been superimposed on to the history of all the colonized nations, to form both a parallel and a linear narrative. Thus the "margir:.al" village is integrated into the horizon of the "central" urban space, determining geographical mobility. Within this kind of cultural economy, the idea of the urban and the rural was redefined. This re-imagined village cannot take care of itself; it is the subaltern that cannot speak. All initiafives in the village including remedies for social discrimination and institutionalized violence, must originate in the city (Nandy 13). - the ghosts in Bengali folktales made it possible to look at the artefacts of one's own history with an outsider's gaze. This in tum led to the construct of hegemonic and subaltern 76 |SBN 978-81-949267-4-0 cultural identities. Local diversity has always existed; yet the dlmamics of representatiory in its very inclusiveness, remained always the same. Cultural identity and its hierarchical representation gathered people together in order to formulate them as a'People' subject to the inscription of a particular master-narrative that of the self-determination of Bengali nationalism and finally the democratic nation-state of India. Works Cited Bagchi, iasodhara. "sociaiising the Girl Child in Colonial Bengal", Economic and political Weekly,Yolume: 28. No. 41. October 1993. Pp. 2214- 2279.Accessed from Digital Library of India (18 March 2021). Bascom, Wiiliam R. "Four Functions of Folklore" .The Study of Folklore. Ed. Alan Dundes. Prentice - Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliff, New Jers ey. 7968. pp. 277 - 292. print. Chatterjee, Partha. "Disciplines in Colonial Bengal". Texts of power, Emerging Disciplines in Colonial Bengal. Ed. Partha Chatterjee. (1995). 1 - 29. print. Chatterjee, Ratnabali. "Prostituted Women and the British Empire,,, Volume: 1. Issue: 1. June 2016. pp. 65 - 81. Print. Dundes, Alan. "Introductton". The Study of Folklore, Ed. Alan Dundes. prentice Inc. Englewood Cliff, New Jersey.7968. pp. 3 - 7. Print. - Ha1l, M. "The Formation of the Subaltem Consciousness: A Bisexual Foetus,,. TEIAS Thiagarajar College lournal. Volume: 1. Issue: 2. June 2074. pp. 19 - 27. Accessed from https://tejas.tcarts.in/pdf/june16_subaltern.pdf (21 March 2021). Gramsci, Antonio. "Selections from the Prison Notebooks" .1989. pp. 200 - 210. Elangovan, Gupta, Charu Smita. "Fo1k1ore: Literature, Art, Craft and Music". 2O0Z . pp. I - 23. Accessed from http://nsdl.niscair.res.in/jspuVbitstreamlT2Z456TSgIBZBlUPDF%20 Folklore.pdf (March. 2021). Lester, Ju1ius. "Black Folktales". Grove Press, Missourr, 1969, www.researchgate.net (15 March 2021). i - vii. Accessed from Lyotard, Jean Francois. "The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge,,. Trans. Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumo. 1984. pp. 50 - 55. Accessed from www. jstore.com (20 March 2021). Naithani, Sadhana. "In Quest of Indian Folktales: Pandit Ram Gharib Chaube and William Crooke" . pp.37 - 452006. Print Nandy, Ashis. 'An Ambiguous Joumey to the City: The Village and Other Odd Ruins of the Self in the Indian Imagination". 2001. pp. 1 - 15. Print. Pau| Debosmita. "Through the looking glass: An analysis of the Swadeshi Movement through the 'indigenous' "Thakurmar |huli". Indinn Literature. Voiume: 59. No. 6 (290). Novemberfl)ecember 2015. pp. 153 - 157. Accessed from w,w,wjstore.com (20 March 2021). Ritchle, Susan. "Ventriloquist Folklore: 1\4ro Speaks for Representation." Theorizing Folklore: Toward New Perspectiaes on the Politics of Culture. Volume: 52, No. 214. April - October 1993. pp. 365 - 378. Accessed from rwr,,wjstore.com (20 March 2021\. Wi11iams, Raymond. "Traditions, Institutions, Formations." Marxism and Literature. L977. pp. 115 - 121. Print. ':.';.t'l.,. ].:.,,i Prof. (Dr:) Ashimananda Gangopadhyay has been teaching as University of Kalyani, WB, India, He is a prolific writer and a renowned scholar in the field of Folklore Studies and Popular Culture. ln his prestigious teaching career for over 30 years, he has many books and research papers to his a Professor of Folklore, credit. He has also edited many National and International |ournals and books and is the recipient of numerous academic awards. His areas of interest are Cultural Studies, Folklore, Popular Culture, Media Studies etc. : L working as Faculty of English at Gurugram, Haryana, India. She has 1 i :i es related to Existential Concerns, Gender Studies. Recently, she has i ' i Sexuality and Literature 5), Disaster, Holocaust, and snd Perspectives (ISBN: t r I Breeze (ISBN i I ). , Mr. Arnab Chakraborty is a doctoral research scholar in the l Depgrf&ent ol English, Raiganj University, W.B, India and a ,fortRer student ofRabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. He has ,beCn teaching in the Department of English, Srikrishna College, t t W.B. since 2016. His areas of interest are Theatre and Ferf,ormance Studies, Folklore, Papular Culture etc. He has published research papers in the Journals of National and International repute. Painting and J ournalism are her passion. r') o UPANAVAN PUBLICATIONS ffi) (! 97 8-81 -949267 -4-0 (an imprint of Upanayan Foundation) 772, Street No 6, B Block, Baba Colony, Burari, Delhi, 110084 INDIA; Contact: +91- 7827665077 E-m ail : u p an ay a n p u bli c atio a n s@g m ail. com, utho rsp u bl i cation @gm ail. com o- o g. oa ET 5 ilffiililil]ffiilfllil Price ( : 695/- F' ? (A o 3 o