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Cultural Prism |
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Thank God that Debati Mahato did not know the Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs else would she have made such beautiful wall art without having practically any durable asset at home?Tribal musicians in Kherwada village, Wardha, 31st Shodhyatra, 2013 |
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Culture can be a culprit and also a source of creating new opportunities for communities. The questions triggered by the cultural institutions often initiate the innovation journey. The cultural institutions for conservation of natural resources are vital for proving the long term sustainability context for inclusive development. The aesthetics embedded in painting, sculpting and architecture traditions fertilises the imagination. Individuals sometimes evolve cultural norms that receive wild acceptance from the community but sometimes these remain odd practices. The aesthetics of development can alienate the people if not blended with local traditions. The tensions between cultural traditions and contemporary consciousness provide space for innovations. Cultural prism can refract our visions in a way nothing else can. Culture can make us compliant with rules of subjugation (as many women have been treated in our society, eating last, getting up first, doing all chores and then now, even go to office, or fetch water or fuel wood). It can make us aware of the questions to ask so that traditional perspectives can be transformed. Middle East spring rebellion was a product of one street vendor refusing to tolerate police injustice that had not happened first time that day. But a cascading effect followed, when many people realised that they all were feeling the same way. Culture can suppress but also unfold feelings, awaken desire for change. Aesthetics of alienationCultural crucible “When do lions come here?†I asked foolishly a local farmer, Ismailbhai who was said to be very knowledgeable about Asiatic lion behaviour in and around Gir sanctuaries during our first Shodhyatra, 1998, in Junagdah, Amreli and Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. He said, “Lions live here, it is people like you who come and goâ€. In one sentence, he changed my cultural mooring regarding the way we relate with wildlife. How could I ask such a foolish question, but this was not the first time, nor the last time I have asked foolish questions. Culture of confessing such questions evolved in the Network helps us to reduce defensiveness in admitting limitations of our cultural outlook. Cultural beliefs and values are also embedded in the crafts, handlooms, embroidery, technological inertia, obsolescence, and innovations, institutions for conserving resources but also eroding them. We have in one hand numerous institutions for conserving birds, feeding them, scaring them at harvesting stage through scarecrows but never feed them poisonous grains to kill them. Farmers can easily save the burden of sitting on a machan (wooden platform) in the mature crop filed in summer heat and scare the birds. But they will not choose easy way of killing them. They don’t mind killing pests using chemicals but never the birds. But in another part of the country, several tribal communities in north Gujarat (in sloth bear sanctuary for a long stretch) and in Tripura and several other north eastern states, use fork shaped wooden sling to aim stones or clay balls and kill birds. Is it a sign of indifference towards nature or just a way of cultural coping with scarcity of food over time and space? They preserve every forest well though. Bird feeding platform in one part and slings to kill birds are part of the same cultural tapestry which is interwoven with every facet of survival strategies of people in different regions. In Champai region, Mizoram we found every house having roof top water harvesting structures but in Tripura, such a practice is missing though water scarcity is equally eloquent in both places. Creative walls During the 22nd Shodhyatra, after paying homage to Gandhi in Champaran, we started the walk in the coldest month of the year. Just before leaving for the next village, suddenly there was an extraordinary sight in front of us. A circular grain-bin made of clay outside one of the houses had an art work all around on the surface. We inquired about the artist and thus discovered Ram Tiwari Devi in Chailaha village, who had made the three dimensional artwork on the grain bin (khop). She had learnt this art from her mother and felt that it was the only way she knew of making a grain bin. When art becomes the only alternative, creativity achieves its purpose. For the rest of the journey, we kept on looking for similar designs, and found nice paintings and sketches. But, we could not find even one more bin with similar three-dimensional or embossed artwork. For more than 100 km, not one replication of the design (though some variations of less complex designs were indeed seen) was encountered. Did she know how distinctive she was? Readers may recall a similar artwork in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, on a roadside dung cake heap, and on a wall of a hut in Purulia, West Bengal. Every time we witness such signatures of women’s creativity manifested in the spaces accessible to them, we become conscious of what could have been the potential if they had been given better institutional space instead of only domestic space. Vol 20(1) Jan-Mar 2009 Pithora painting Pithora painting is practised by Rathwa and Bhil communities of Chhota Udepur district. The art is integral to their life. These paintings are done indoors on three walls of a room. It is believed that the art brings peace, prosperity and joy to the residence of the dwellers. The painting also signifies the status and pride of the people. The art reflects their culture, traditions and day to day life. Like Warli is painted by women, in the same way Pithora is painted by men. The colours are handmade with goat milk or local wine. The paintbrush is made by hand out of bamboo. The irony is that modern translation on tees and other canvases hurts them, because the Pithora painting has religious significance. This was discovered during the 23rd Shodhyatra. Vol 23(3) July-Sep 2012 Lok Vakya & Lok Kala as educational methods Motibhai B. Nayak, Gujarat Motibhai’s cultural activities in lower caste communities caused some displeasure among the upper caste. This motivated him to use folk drama to focus on the evils of the caste system. He believes he has achieved some success in promoting understanding and reducing intercaste conflicts. Motibhai believes that the innovativeness of the teacher is revealed in the methods used to give necessary direction to the dormant energy in all children. His teaching draws on examples from folk beliefs and tales. He uses public fairs, rituals of marriage and death, social customs and various other practices as illustrations. He encourages visits to various areas and communities. Folk musical instruments may also be converted into teaching aids, for example the Ravan hattha, Jodiya pava and Nana thol are placed in their historical context and their evolution described. At a more technical level he explains the scientific principles underlying their use. He has found this of immense educational value in teaching history and science. Motibhai teaches Gujarati (especially the poems), Geography and History mainly through drama. He converts the lesson into a series of dialogues and folk songs. Many times the students enact the lessons. To teach the geography of Gujarat he has prepared a ‘dialogue’ between two puppets, ranglo and rangli. They chat with each other, with a lot of humour thrown in, about Gujarat. He does the talking using the dialects of the various regions. It is learning through fun. To create this technique/method, he has had to visit the various regions, collect information not given in the texts, and learn various dialects including tribal languages. Vol 11(1) Jan-Mar 2000The Water Atlas: Traditional Knowledge to combat desertification [ Pietro Laureano (2001)]Pietro Laureano, trained in Architecture and Town Planning, has studied traditional water systems around the world. He founded the IPOGEA Research Centre on Local and Traditional Knowledge. The Water Atlas is a collection of ancient practices developed by local communities for conserving and using water. The book records the struggle of communities around the world to thrive under adverse weather condition. Laureano laments that the current culture demands immediate visible results with often unsustainable impacts. Traditional knowledge applications, in contrast, are often slow. Its impacts may be seen over very long durations of time. The chapter on oases of Sahara describes several ways in which the residents maximised the efficiency of water use. The kesrias of the Algerian Sahara give an insight into the traditional water allocation systems which helped survival in the desert. The water quotas kept changing based on inheritance, marriages and sales of possessions. Since family ties and inheritance were directly reflected on the kesrias, the complete system, along with junctions and little bridges, is a physical record of family ties and possessions. The importance of water in that culture can also be seen today in the jewel which Amazigh women wear around their neck. This jewel is a stylised representation of the water distribution system. Vol 23(2) Apr-Jun 2012 In a culturally rich and diverse country why are there so few databases of cultural and institutional innovations? |
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Honey Bee 25(4) & 26(1) 39-44, 2014-2015 (25 years celebration) |
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