Commentary
Global Media Journal – Indian Edition/ Summer Issue / June 2011
KEERTAN AS A FOLK MEDIA AND ITS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Prof. Prabhavati A. Patil
S.M.Dr.Bapuji Salunkhe Mahavidyalaya, Miraj
[Affiliated to Shivaji University, Kolhapur]
Sangli, Maharashtra, India
Email: [email protected]
Abstract: Folk media in India has contributed a great deal in developing a pan-Indian culture. In this
multilingual and multiracial country, folk media serves as true carrier of culture. Its highly spontaneous,
participatory and involving quality makes the media par excellence for any powerful and effective
communication. Indian folk forms are a mixture of dialogue, dance, song, clowning, moralizing, and
prayer. The various folk forms- folk music, folk dances, and folk dramas- are the powerful means of
public instruction and unifying force of emotional integrity. They show the socio-religious, and
philosophical dimension woven artistically and aesthetically into a life experience. And they are
presented in a creative and innovative manner. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight
Keywords: Indian folk forms, folk media, Keertan , social responsibilities
Introduction
India is a land of innumerable folk arts. Traditional folk media generally include the
presentation of different types of programmes like folk song and music, folk dance, yatra, drama
and theatres, puppetry and street theatres etc. All programmes have individual criteria and
attraction. Here are few programmes widely accepted in different states or region for its’ unique
presentation of excellence. Some of them are Alkapa, Ballads, Bauls, Bhavai, Burrakatha,
Dasakathia, Jatra, Keertan, Karyala, Kavada, Nautaki, Phada, Puppets,Riddles, Tamasha,
Therukuthu, Theyyam, Thullal etc.
Apart from the highly organized medium of mass communication that is used in excessive
manner presently, like print, audio and audio-visual medium, traditional folk media is popular
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among the rural masses. Traditional folk media cultivate the rural lifestyle and culture, and serve
the various needs and purposes through entertainment.
Keertan
Keertana (pronounced keer-ton-uh) is a Sanskrit word that means “praise” or “glory.” It
is a form of song that centres on glorifying God, commonly performed in a “call and response”
style of singing. Devotional singing and music is known as keertan. It is performed to praise
God, Bhagavan. The style of keertan ranges from temple music to informal groups and single
songs. In the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism bhakti or devotion to God gives salvation,
Moksha.
Those particularly adept at such singing are called keertaniyas (keer-ton-nee-uhs) or
keertan-wallahs (keer-ton-wahl-uhs) or keertankars, and it is wonderful to watch them as they
chant God’s names. Usually, traditional, exotic instruments accompany their song and dance. In
an average keertan , one can expect to find a khol—also called a mridanga—which is a doubleheaded folk drum originating in northeast India. It has a body made of clay or fiberglass, with a
small head on the right side (some four inches in diameter), and a larger one on the left
(approximately ten inches). A pair of brass hand cymbals, known as kartals, is also a staple in
any keertan performance—the two cymbals, commonly two to five inches in diameter, are tied
together by a piece of string or cloth and employed rhythmically, according to the beat of the
chant. Keertan is joyfully performed, leading to higher and higher modes of spirituality. It
gradually takes us beyond the physical, mental, and intellectual strata of existence and situates us
in transcendence. Thus, we move upward toward the Supreme.
There is Nam-keertan, which are songs composed of God’s sacred names, and Lila-keertan,
or songs that celebrate the esoteric activities of the Divine. There is Sankirtan, when the songs of
praise are performed in a group setting, and Nagara-Sankirtan, when the group is taken into the
streets. And there are numerous variations on these terms and themes. But keertan, in any form,
is ecstatic. According to the sages of India, keertan transcends history. It is “imported from the
spiritual realm.” That is, in the highest heaven, one will find God—Krishna, Vishnu, El, Allah.
He has innumerable names—glorified with blissful song and dance. Then, as keertan makes its
way to the material world, we find it in humanity’s earliest cultures and civilizations.
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Discourse of Keertan
Keertan as a discourse is the notion of ‘potential community’ which unites, dialectically, the
critique and, its hegemonic appropriation. The notion of potential community can be explored by
contrasting it to that of the actual community in, which members live and communicate on the
basis of shared meanings.
Generally, the term discourse refers text. The scholars think in terms
of analyzing texts under the term discourse analysis, and to many of them, only a piece of
literature can be called a text. But in keertan or in any folklore this is not true .Because in
folklore, the spoken words occur within a context. Whatever we get in the context- gesture,
movement, interaction between people, everything- all of this discourse is a part of the text.
Discourse analysis is a meaning-making process.
Performance and call-and-response are the
types of keertan discourse. Keertan or any item of folklore is the science of sound and music.
Sages like Panini the grammarian, Patanjali, Bhartrahari, Nadikewhara, Anjaneya, Sarangdeva
and Bharata are par excellence in research of sound and music. The Supreme Divinity underlying
all existence described in the Upanishad, Brahman is also exemplified by Aum (or OM) the
elemental sound (Sabda). Sound is the property of the element Space. This also known as the
Sabda-Brahman which manifests through power of oral chanting.
Many religious traditions conveyed the concept of sacred sound as Sabda Brahman which
gradually evolved into Nada Brahman. This Nada Brahman included musical sounds and
nonlinguistic sounds heard in deep meditation. The conch shell of Lord Vishnu, flute of Krishna,
veena of Goddess Saraswati, Damaru of Lord Shiva symbolise Nada-Brahman, the sacred sound.
The Hindu Scripture is essentially oral from the beginning, emphasizing pure pronunciation in
recitation. The power of sound and speech known as Vac in the Rig Veda is prominent with
pronunciation and metres. The Sanskrit grammarian Panini also followed the rules of phonetics
and sound based on Vedic chants. The most important musical treatise Sangeetranakar by
Sarangdeva begins with the invocation:
“We worship Nada Brahman, that incomparable Bliss which is imminent in all the creatures as
intelligence and is manifest in the nature of this universe. Indeed, through the worship of NadaBrahman are worshipped Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, since they are essentially one”.
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The Vedas and the Upanishads, which are among the world’s oldest religious texts, describe
the power of sound in minute detail, elaborating on how certain mantras, when properly recited,
reveal Ultimate Reality. Keertan, then, claims both divine origin and a history traceable to the
world’s earliest scriptures. The art of sound expresses ideas and emotions in significant form
through rhythm, melody, harmony and colour.
Dhairya, Soora, Tala, Gano, Vaktritwa, Sastra,
and Purana are the important components of keertan, while the instruments and its players, the
audience, the idol of God, respect for all and candle-lights in the temple are the six
subcomponents. The correlation, coordination and cooperation of all these components and
subcomponents are a must for raising the level, standard, quality and effect of the keertan.
Keertan is a beautiful combination of elocution, storytelling, solo act, poetry and music.
This is indeed a difficult skill to accomplish but the keertankar through many years of study have
managed to impress the people with their wisdom and performance. The keertankar extract the
gist from the epics, the Abhanga of Saints and explain the importance of spirituality and the
hollowness of materialistic life. There are different sects of the keertankar and they perform
keertan as per the norms and regulations of their particular sect.
Keertan is a kind of ‘monodrama’, in which whole presentation is operated by a single
actor. He enters into the topic, by acting different characters lying in it. The uniqueness of
Keertan is that a single person carries the entire programme, by holding charm of the
programme. The philosophical and Upanishadic focus becomes somewhat diluted with the music
and the humorous anecdotes, thus enabling the Keertan to become a popular entertainment which
could appeal to a larger and less learned audience.
Keertan and its Social Responsibilities
The “Social Responsibility” theory owes its origin to the commission on freedom of the
press (Hutchins 1947) that was appointed in the United States. The social responsibility theory is
based on the assumption that media serve essential functions in society. Media functions as an
instrument in social change and socio-economic development. The role of modern electronic,
print, and traditional media is recognized to spread messages. Messages given by media not only
spread easily but understood well.
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The traditional media like folk songs, folk dance, folk theatre etc. are the real channels
of information and entertainment in rural India .Their reach is wide. Compared to print and
electronic media, they are less expensive and more accessible. They are closer to the heart of the
people and participatory in nature. So they communicate effectively. Traditional folk media, with
their inspiring colour and costume, dance and music have enriched the content of mass media
channels. Utilization of folk media for communication revives culture of the common man.
Systematic organization of people’s performances makes the motivational work more
community based with the objectives of social and economic betterment and cultural revival.
Folk media have been serving as significant modes of communication in carrying developmental
message to the rural folk in the country and have also proved to be immensely useful in
influencing the human values and attitudes. In view of the functions and advantages of folk
media, the role of folk media in educating the non-literate in country like India is significant in
accelerating developmental processes. According to Shyam Parmar(1975) the advantages of folk
media from development point of view are:
1. Traditional folk media are most intimate with the masses in all the regions of the country.
Their primary appeal is to the emotions rather than the intellect.
2. They command an immense variety of forms and themes to suit the communication
requirements of the masses.
3. They are local and live and be able to establish direct rapport with the audiences.
4. They are easily available to their customers.
5. They are flexible to accommodate new themes.
6. They are enjoyed and approved by all the people from different age groups.
7. They are low-cost media as compared to the sophisticated mass media.
Keertan as a folk media perform many functions in society like information, education,
motivation, persuasion, entertainment, cultural promotion and integration. It transmits the social
cultural heritage. Keertan is a source of personal and collective recreation and enjoyment. It
plays an important role in integrating people, community and society for harmonious living.
Society cannot survive today without being informed about international and local events, about
political, economic, social and cultural affairs or even about weather conditions. The keertankar
through his performance elaborates all the current issues. By giving humorous anecdotes, he
illustrates day-today affairs, the threats and dangers of society which is really thought-provoking.
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He also speaks on crime, violence, social tensions and ethnic or religious minorities. Sometimes
keertan is related to the problems of society, youth, environment, education and drug abuses. By
giving illustrations from Upnishda, Puranas and great epics, keertankar educate the society.
Thus keertan as a folk-media works as an instrument of social change in the rural area. It
provides not only information but also good entertainment and knowledge. Where there is no
reach of electricity or where literacy level is low, in such area keertan, or various other forms of
folk media, can play the vital role. Keertan is a living art, not an archeological antiquity. It
continues to be a medium through which the people express their thoughts, feelings and interests.
The subject matter and the musical style have changed with the changing times, but the
fundamental principle of keertan and its relation to the people have remained the same.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that this centuries-old art will continue to pave the way for knowledge,
awareness and salvation among the people. Even today, it remains the most popular form of
public education and respectable entertainment .Thus Keertan as a folk media play a very
important role in rural India. Folk media carry diverse message of education, political, social,
healthcare and agricultural innovation as to inform and educate the people. It is fulfilling not
only the ritualistic needs of society but aesthetic also. By considering the advantages of folk
media, researchers and government agencies in India found them useful and credible channels
for promoting planned change.
Reference:
1. Handoo, Jawaharlal.1998. Folklore and Discourse. Zooni Publications ,Mysore.
2. Shyam Parmar, Traditional Folk Media in India, Geka Books, New Dehli, 1975.
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