Is folk culture under threat from urbanization?

KOLKATA: The Folkloristic Education and Research Institute (Feri) on Monday organized a national seminar at Jadavpur University under the topic ‘Urban Folklore and Impact of Urbanization on Folklore’ to discuss the ground reality. A range of topics, from the change in nature of folk entertainment to relevance of Mollah Nasiruddin in modern society, were discussed at the seminar that will conclude on Tuesday.
Achintya Biswas, a JU professor and Feri secretary, set the tone in his opening address on the topic: ‘Impact of Urbanization on Folklore’.JU student Rituparna Kar spoke noted: “Festivals are celebrated enthusiastically in cities than in villages. Idols scattered along roads, Vishwakarma Puja, Lakshmi-Saraswati pujas at so many homes can be pointed out. Casualwear, daily life all reflect memories of folk life and their evolution.”
Siddhartha Khanra, a research scholar at Belur Math, read a paper on the relevance of Mollah Nasiruddin.
Bengali teacher Satabdi Sikdar said: “Before we equate urbanization and folk, we need to mark the pre-urbanization era. Today when we hear someone singing baul songs with a guitar or a hero in a foreign location singing ‘Paran jaye jolia re…’, the natural equation changes. But in today’s situation, the rise of folk songs or khaddar clothes mark historic, economic and philosophical changes.”
“Bhadu songs reflect socio-political-economic changes but these also impact folklore. Because of availability of electronic medium, people are playing recordings instead of composing new songs. So the tradition is facing an existential crisis,” said Chinmoy Patra, an English student from Purulia.