Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Traditional Culture (Culture, Communication and Folk Media)

Where the excessively used form of mediums for mass communication like Print media, Electronic media (audio and audio-visual) has proved its existence and importance since centuries, the importance of folk media too is undeniable.   Where print media, electronic media and online media forms involves and attracts mostly the modern mass, traditional folk media is the main source of communication for the rural masses. And the importance of it can be drawn and understood from the considerable popularity of the traditional folk media among the rural masses of the developing country like India. Traditional folk media generally consists of folk songs and music, folk dances, Drama and theatre, Puppetry shows, street plays and theatres etc. Traditional Folk Media especially is popular for cultivating and catering the demands of rural illiterate and backward masses. Especially the part of the population who do not hold the ability to read and write and also the ones for whom the modern mass medium is easily accessible in terms of both reach and money. It has been stated a very influential medium for creating and triggering a very strong position in the rural people’s mind. It has the ability to educate, inform and entertain the masses thereby leaving a long lasting impression on people’s mind. Hence it gives them a platform to learn, discuss and aware themselves about the outer worlds and their cultures with the strong retention and recalling ability. Traditional Folk Media reinforces the importance of one’s culture and also is influential enough to popularise it on the international platforms. 
Some of extremely popular Traditional Folk Media forms are Tamasha, Powada, Keertana, Nautakin, Jatra, Bhavai, Therukoothu, Ramlila and Raslila, Street Theatre, Puppetry stories.

Advantages of Folk Media:
ü  It presents the idea, facts and thoughts of the respective society, community and culture in a very pleasurable and enjoyable manner.
ü  Traditional folk media due to its roots and familiarity with the targeted audience can mould and motivate numerous unwary and illiterate for a major setback and change.
ü  It is easy to comprehend medium to convey the message. It makes the presentation easy, quick and understandable.
ü  It conveys the informative idea with lot of entertainment thus creating the retention value for the content.
ü  Due to the minimum accessibility to the mass media like newspaper, radio and television in rural society, traditional folk media predominates on the rural masses.
ü  It is considered as the most credible form of medium because it includes ‘face-to-face’ presentations and portrayal. It is a live medium unlike television and radio.
(It has significantly contributed in various development programmes initiated and under taken by the state government in the past like ‘Family Welfare’, ‘Children Education’ etc.) 

 Role of Traditional Folk Media in promoting the culture of any community
v  It is the suitable form of mass medium that represents its cultural values and beliefs in a very entertaining form. Thus it helps people to recognize, understand, know, analyse and retain the intricacies of one’s culture.
v  Folk media due to its significant reach preserves and transmits cultural traditions and values to the next generation. It produces and distributes cultural products to the large no. of people seeking knowledge, information and entertainment especially in rural communities.
v  Folk media acts as the mover of the rural education and culture in one hand and ‘surveillant’ of the rural society the other hand.
v  Folk Media carry a diverse message of education, political, social, healthcare and agricultural innovation, as to inform and educate the rural citizens.
v  Folk Media has compensated for the wider in coverage by the modern mass medium to overcome and build the communication gap.
v  As Folk media do not necessarily have to maintain any decorum and protected status like other mediums of mass communication, it all audiences to come closer to such media considerably well.
v  It maintains the specifications and actuality of the message to be delivered. Hence, It adds more value to the existing cultural norms and principles.
v  Through its various forms, Folk media delivers the very essence of its values, beliefs, traditions, rituals and customs in a way that signifies its importance and the reason of its existence and evolution throughout the generations.

v  It gives an identity to a community thereby distinguishing it from the others.              

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