Hemendra S I N G H Chandalia | Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth (original) (raw)

Papers by Hemendra S I N G H Chandalia

Indian Folk Literature: Forms, Perspectives and Appropriation, 2021

Indian Folklore is a rich reservoir of poetry that is produced by the community or is created by ... more Indian Folklore is a rich reservoir of poetry that is produced by the community or is created by such people who are able to declass themselves and identify them with the masses. This paper explores the writings of saint-poet Meera Bai of Rajasthan and Kashmiri Saint - poet Lal Ded in addition to Baul Poetry of Bengal and tries to establish that great folk poetry comes from only those authors who can declass themselves and identify with the masses.

Journal of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English, 2021

Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he... more Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he turned into a commander of Cultural Revolution by turning to the power of pen. He realized that treating the malady of an individual may be important but more important is to cure the minds of people who seem to have taken slavery as a state they are destined to live in. He wanted to instill hope in the hearts of the people of China and rise against feudal and colonial oppression. He wrote short stories which talked of dignity of human life and freedom. These were translated from Chinese into English by Yang Hsein-yi and Gladis Yang.

Journal of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English, 2021

Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he... more Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he turned into a commander of Cultural Revolution by turning to the power of pen. He realized that treating the malady of an individual may be important but more important is to cure the minds of people who seem to have taken slavery as a state they are destined to live in. He wanted to instill hope in the hearts of the people of China and rise against feudal and colonial oppression. He wrote short stories which talked of dignity of human life and freedom. These were translated from Chinese into English by Yang Hsein-yi and Gladis Yang.

Inclusive Society: A Gandhian Perspective, 2020

Mahatma Gandhi's economic development model rests on the idea of trusteeship and cooperative ente... more Mahatma Gandhi's economic development model rests on the idea of trusteeship and cooperative enterprise. He does not oppose the creation of capital but is totally against exploitation of human beings for accumulation of wealth. In his economic model a village is a self-sufficient unit which achieves development through just, ethical and non-violent means. In his seminal text Hind Swaraj he opposed labour-replacing technology, and depicted western civilization as the biggest evil on earth. His use of the spinning wheel is a proper reply to those who depict him as one against all kinds of machines. He used the spinning wheel as a symbol of the tool of economic and social transformation which could empower women, the weakest of the weak, through the use of their labour. The tribes which form the vulnerable 8.6 percent of total population of India, are the worst hit in the model of development adopted by the country now. Despite the laws like Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996; the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006; and Land Transfer Regulations in Schedule V (Tribal) Areas the land and forest resources of the tribes are being grabbed from them by the corporate through the agency of the state. Though the land of the tribes cannot be transferred to non-tribal people, through Benami transactions and in the name of "Public Interest" their land is acquired by the state without any compensation or plans of rehabilitation. Of total population displaced by development projects in India, 40% are tribal people. A just economy, according to Mahatma Gandhi, must be free from exploitation and enhance human dignity. Today when the country celebrates 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi, the society is unequal, and the wealth inequality is highest in the world. The GDP growth cannot be taken as the sole criterion of development. The paper explores how Gandhian model of decentralized economy can help tribal development in India.

Gandhi in Indian English Literature, 2019

M.K.Gandhi is a leader of the freedom movement who has inspired a large number of literary writer... more M.K.Gandhi is a leader of the freedom movement who has inspired a large number of literary writers to write about him in different forms. Besides life accounts and biographies, quite a good number of novels , poems, plays and skits have been composed taking Gandhi as a character . Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, who was a journalist and a film director, wrote a play based on the life of Gandhi focusing on his life in South Africa. In fact, it was his encounter with the British colonialism in South Africa which made him a Mahatma. He had started his experiments with truth, non-violence and satyagraha in South Africa. This paper explores how the play Barrister -at - Law written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas registers the struggle of Gandhi in South Africa.

Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a... more Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a well documented and codified methodology of scripting and performance in the texts like Bharat Muni's Natyasastra, folk drama is oral and is a creation of the collective wisdom of the people. It is composed, improvised and performed by the same group of people with little formal training in theatre. The indigenous communities in India which constitute nearly eight percent of the country's population have their own very rich tradition of theatre. As is obvious, in their case drama means performance. The script is always fluid and allows a great degree of improvisation with every performance, the stage is often any piece of ground and the performers are amateurs. Music, song and dance form a very significant aspect of the performance and the plots are often multiple having sufficient scope of digression into sub-plots. The paper attempts to discuss the tribal dance drama Gavari performed by the Bhil tribe of South Rajasthan as a subversive performance. It is perhaps the longest folk drama performed by any folk community. The traditional notion of social, religious , political , administrative and class hierarchy is subverted by several episodes enacted in the course of the performance. The play is performed for forty days beginning from the day following the festival of Rakshabandhan. This is the time when the peasantry is comparatively free after the sowing of monsoon crop is over and the people engaged in agriculture are able to spend some time away from their farms. The paper attempts to discuss how the plot and the sub plots, performance and the participation of the audience subvert the classical tradition of mainstream theatre. In the absence of an authentic script the discussion relies on the recordings of performances seen in various parts of Udaipur district of Rajasthan, India.

Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a... more Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a well documented and codified methodology of scripting and performance in the texts like Bharat Muni's Natyasastra, folk drama is oral and is a creation of the collective wisdom of the people. It is composed, improvised and performed by the same group of people with little formal training in theatre. The indigenous communities in India which constitute nearly eight percent of the country's population have their own very rich tradition of theatre. As is obvious, in their case drama means performance. The script is always fluid and allows a great degree of improvisation with every performance, the stage is often any piece of ground and the performers are amateurs. Music, song and dance form a very significant aspect of the performance and the plots are oftem multiple having sufficient scope of digression into sub-plots. The paper attempts to discuss the tribal dance drama Gavari performed by the Bhil tribe of South Rajasthan. It is perhaps the longest folk drama performed by any folk community. The play is performed for forty days beginning from the day following the festival of Rakshabandhan. This is the time when the peasantry is comparatively free after the sowing of monsoon crop is over and the people engaged in agriculture are able to spend some time away from their farms. The paper attempts to discuss how the plot and the sub plots, performance and the participation of the audience subvert the classical tradition of mainstream theatre. In the absence of an authentic script the discussion relies on the recordings of performances seen in various parts of Udaipur district of Rajasthan, India.

Galaleng is a folk ballad sung by the Nath- Jogi community of South Rajasthan, who sing this ball... more Galaleng is a folk ballad sung by the Nath- Jogi community of South Rajasthan, who sing this ballad on the festival of Makar Sankranti. The present article is an attempt to bring in script a tale of heroic feats of a Rajput warrior of 18th Century which is sung in oral tradition in the tribal villages of Dungarpur and Banswara in the state of Rajasthan, INDIA.

The assimilation and use of knowledge has been practiced since time immemorial. It would be diffi... more The assimilation and use of knowledge has been practiced since time immemorial. It would be difficult to assign a date when man first faced some ailment and started looking for a respite. From natural urge to remove the pain caused by the ailment must have begun the search for means and methods of curing human ailments. If one were to record the ways in which ancient man attempted this, several means like herbs, leaves, bark of trees, grass, fruit, water, juice of different types, syrups, concoctions, ointments, minerals, parts of animals, heated earthen tiles, prayers, worship of deities, observance of fasts, visiting religious shrines, sun bath, soil therapy, feeding Brahmins, young girls and animals, chanting of Mantras, beating of drum and other instruments, offering coconuts to the deities or rivers/streams, walking long distances to visit a shrine and offer prayers, bathing in particular reservoirs of water near some shrines, touching the patients organ to a stone statue of some deity etc. could be found out. Even today in different countries and communities many of such practices are followed.

Though a lot of theory about humanities revolves round what is written and is available in print,... more Though a lot of theory about humanities revolves round what is written and is available in print, humanities do not confine to the written word. The understanding of utterances in tongues which are not very common and are not available in script is also the domain of Humanities. These languages belong to the communities which have been historically suppressed, dislodged and dispossessed. Colonization had inflicted on them denial, dislodgement and dispossession of their natural habitat and intellectual heritage. The doctrines of Terra Nullius and Homo Sacer have succeeded only partially in their representation, that too, as the victims of colonization. Theories of Orality only attempt at understanding their literary and often “Non-literary” discourses. In fact, it is not easy to mark where the literary ends and where the non-literary begins in the discourse of the unlettered.
The post colonial theoretical discourse marks a rise of the voice of the marginalized in terms of the discussion of the Expatriate, Diaspora, Black, Feminist and Dalit but the indigenous unlettered communities still remain marginalized and the much talked about slogans of “Inclusion” and “Democracy” sound hollow and meaningless in their context. The “Occupy Movements” in the context of the unlettered indigenous communities are ironically the state sponsored and mediated occupation strategies of the corporate dispossessing the indigenous communities of their land, occupation, culture and their languages.
The general consensus is that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages currently spoken, and that between 50-90% of those will have become extinct by the year 2100. The top 20 languages spoken by more than 50 million speakers each are spoken by 50% of the world's population, whereas many of the other languages are spoken by small communities, most of them with fewer than 10,000 speakers. About ninety percent of the languages which are endangered are spoken by indigenous communities. These communities are experiencing severe language loss with the mounting economic and political pressures to switch over to the dominant language groups. Their representation in Languages gradually diminishing to extinction calls for a new theoretical debate.
There is no dearth of examples where the nation states in the name of their sovereignty and “Unity” impose the culture of the dominant over them. In literary spheres too, the indigenous oral literatures are subjected to parameters of the dominant written literatures and critical practices to assess them. The real and the theoretical dichotomy embraces new dimensions in the context of communities with orality - based cultures.
The paper attempts to understand the possibilities of expanding the scope of humanities research in the context of the literature of the unlettered communities which exist even today in good numbers. The voice of this fourth world is caught between the theory of state patronage and the practice of total indifference multiplied by the suppressive and exploitative corporate capitalism.
Key words- Terra Nullius, Homo Sacer, Indigenous, Orality, Domination, Dispossessed, Theory

Abstract Talking of Folklore usually connotes a discourse on localized cultural practices, narra... more Abstract
Talking of Folklore usually connotes a discourse on localized cultural practices, narratives and performances. To a certain degree folklore celebrates diversity and distinct ethnic identities. Defined variously as assimilation of oral forms of knowledge viz. songs, stories, proverbs and life sciences, folklore is essentially the knowledge of the life and deeds of the masses. Since the language changes from place to place, the folklore too changes its form across the globe. There is, however, a common thread also which connects the folklore on one nation to that of the other. The respect attached to orality, the word of mouth is one such feature. Love for dance and music, bright colourful robes, and a preference for collectivity rather than individualism are some other common threads that characterize the folklore of the world.
The present paper is just an humble effort to understand the significance of Dhol- a percussion musical instrument of the folk as a tool of cultural convergence. It is used in various strata of the society beginning with the Kings and feudal lords to the ‘untouchables’. The tribal has several ways of using it .Not just for celebration and festivities, Dhol are used for sending a variety of messages. It is used as an independent percussion instrument played with palms as well as drumsticks. At times it is plays as an accompaniment to vocal performances. It has a religious function too. Particularly in temples and shrines it is played during Aarati and when the deity is invoked by the priest to come and speak through him to the devotees.
Like several other communities in Rajasthan who survived on music as their vocation, there is a community called Dholi whose members are skilled players and singers. They have been there on the periphery and received little respect for their skill. Although their presence had been taken for granted right from the birth of a child to the rituals associated with death. There are numerous sociological associations of the playing of Dhol right from its use at the birth of a male child to the marriage ceremonies like Ghudchadhi (Sitting of the bridegroom on the horse), Baraatchadhi (Marching of the marriage party in a procession) and invitation for the feast ( Sagrey Nyoto).The issues of patriarchy, feudal exhibitionism and social stratification are also associated with the use of Dhol. The paper attempts to examine various cultural practices in which Dhol has been/is used in different cultural groups.The data for the paper has been collected through personal interviews in various villages and towns of south Rajasthan besides the sources available.It is also attemted to study the use of drum in different parts of the world and see how the instrument becomes a symbol of community life all across the world.
Key Words- Dhol, percussion, patriarchy, tribal, messages, cultural practices, convergence.

The thirst for knowledge and the quest for exploring something new has been an urge of human psyc... more The thirst for knowledge and the quest for exploring something new has been an urge of human psyche from the very beginning. Through different forms of expression the observation and experience of people got reflected in human history. Journeys formed the

Democracy, by definition, connotes empowerment of people-derived from the Greek phonemes implying... more Democracy, by definition, connotes empowerment of people-derived from the Greek phonemes implying "People" and "Power". Originally it referred to the right of the citizens of the Greek city states to participate directly in the act of governance. In modern times it is defined as a political system of governance through elected representatives of the people. One of the basic assumptions of this system is that in democracy the state represents the aspirations of the people. These aspirations are best voiced in the languages people speak. Democracy, therefore, can best flourish when the state follows a language policy which is inclusive and can establish a "Connect" between the institutions of governance and the people at large.

Indian Folk Literature: Forms, Perspectives and Appropriation, 2021

Indian Folklore is a rich reservoir of poetry that is produced by the community or is created by ... more Indian Folklore is a rich reservoir of poetry that is produced by the community or is created by such people who are able to declass themselves and identify them with the masses. This paper explores the writings of saint-poet Meera Bai of Rajasthan and Kashmiri Saint - poet Lal Ded in addition to Baul Poetry of Bengal and tries to establish that great folk poetry comes from only those authors who can declass themselves and identify with the masses.

Journal of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English, 2021

Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he... more Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he turned into a commander of Cultural Revolution by turning to the power of pen. He realized that treating the malady of an individual may be important but more important is to cure the minds of people who seem to have taken slavery as a state they are destined to live in. He wanted to instill hope in the hearts of the people of China and rise against feudal and colonial oppression. He wrote short stories which talked of dignity of human life and freedom. These were translated from Chinese into English by Yang Hsein-yi and Gladis Yang.

Journal of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English, 2021

Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he... more Lu Hsun (1881-1936) was a pioneer of China's Cultural Revolution. A medical doctor by training he turned into a commander of Cultural Revolution by turning to the power of pen. He realized that treating the malady of an individual may be important but more important is to cure the minds of people who seem to have taken slavery as a state they are destined to live in. He wanted to instill hope in the hearts of the people of China and rise against feudal and colonial oppression. He wrote short stories which talked of dignity of human life and freedom. These were translated from Chinese into English by Yang Hsein-yi and Gladis Yang.

Inclusive Society: A Gandhian Perspective, 2020

Mahatma Gandhi's economic development model rests on the idea of trusteeship and cooperative ente... more Mahatma Gandhi's economic development model rests on the idea of trusteeship and cooperative enterprise. He does not oppose the creation of capital but is totally against exploitation of human beings for accumulation of wealth. In his economic model a village is a self-sufficient unit which achieves development through just, ethical and non-violent means. In his seminal text Hind Swaraj he opposed labour-replacing technology, and depicted western civilization as the biggest evil on earth. His use of the spinning wheel is a proper reply to those who depict him as one against all kinds of machines. He used the spinning wheel as a symbol of the tool of economic and social transformation which could empower women, the weakest of the weak, through the use of their labour. The tribes which form the vulnerable 8.6 percent of total population of India, are the worst hit in the model of development adopted by the country now. Despite the laws like Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996; the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006; and Land Transfer Regulations in Schedule V (Tribal) Areas the land and forest resources of the tribes are being grabbed from them by the corporate through the agency of the state. Though the land of the tribes cannot be transferred to non-tribal people, through Benami transactions and in the name of "Public Interest" their land is acquired by the state without any compensation or plans of rehabilitation. Of total population displaced by development projects in India, 40% are tribal people. A just economy, according to Mahatma Gandhi, must be free from exploitation and enhance human dignity. Today when the country celebrates 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi, the society is unequal, and the wealth inequality is highest in the world. The GDP growth cannot be taken as the sole criterion of development. The paper explores how Gandhian model of decentralized economy can help tribal development in India.

Gandhi in Indian English Literature, 2019

M.K.Gandhi is a leader of the freedom movement who has inspired a large number of literary writer... more M.K.Gandhi is a leader of the freedom movement who has inspired a large number of literary writers to write about him in different forms. Besides life accounts and biographies, quite a good number of novels , poems, plays and skits have been composed taking Gandhi as a character . Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, who was a journalist and a film director, wrote a play based on the life of Gandhi focusing on his life in South Africa. In fact, it was his encounter with the British colonialism in South Africa which made him a Mahatma. He had started his experiments with truth, non-violence and satyagraha in South Africa. This paper explores how the play Barrister -at - Law written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas registers the struggle of Gandhi in South Africa.

Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a... more Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a well documented and codified methodology of scripting and performance in the texts like Bharat Muni's Natyasastra, folk drama is oral and is a creation of the collective wisdom of the people. It is composed, improvised and performed by the same group of people with little formal training in theatre. The indigenous communities in India which constitute nearly eight percent of the country's population have their own very rich tradition of theatre. As is obvious, in their case drama means performance. The script is always fluid and allows a great degree of improvisation with every performance, the stage is often any piece of ground and the performers are amateurs. Music, song and dance form a very significant aspect of the performance and the plots are often multiple having sufficient scope of digression into sub-plots. The paper attempts to discuss the tribal dance drama Gavari performed by the Bhil tribe of South Rajasthan as a subversive performance. It is perhaps the longest folk drama performed by any folk community. The traditional notion of social, religious , political , administrative and class hierarchy is subverted by several episodes enacted in the course of the performance. The play is performed for forty days beginning from the day following the festival of Rakshabandhan. This is the time when the peasantry is comparatively free after the sowing of monsoon crop is over and the people engaged in agriculture are able to spend some time away from their farms. The paper attempts to discuss how the plot and the sub plots, performance and the participation of the audience subvert the classical tradition of mainstream theatre. In the absence of an authentic script the discussion relies on the recordings of performances seen in various parts of Udaipur district of Rajasthan, India.

Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a... more Folk drama has a long tradition in India. Unlike the classical tradition of Sanskrit drama with a well documented and codified methodology of scripting and performance in the texts like Bharat Muni's Natyasastra, folk drama is oral and is a creation of the collective wisdom of the people. It is composed, improvised and performed by the same group of people with little formal training in theatre. The indigenous communities in India which constitute nearly eight percent of the country's population have their own very rich tradition of theatre. As is obvious, in their case drama means performance. The script is always fluid and allows a great degree of improvisation with every performance, the stage is often any piece of ground and the performers are amateurs. Music, song and dance form a very significant aspect of the performance and the plots are oftem multiple having sufficient scope of digression into sub-plots. The paper attempts to discuss the tribal dance drama Gavari performed by the Bhil tribe of South Rajasthan. It is perhaps the longest folk drama performed by any folk community. The play is performed for forty days beginning from the day following the festival of Rakshabandhan. This is the time when the peasantry is comparatively free after the sowing of monsoon crop is over and the people engaged in agriculture are able to spend some time away from their farms. The paper attempts to discuss how the plot and the sub plots, performance and the participation of the audience subvert the classical tradition of mainstream theatre. In the absence of an authentic script the discussion relies on the recordings of performances seen in various parts of Udaipur district of Rajasthan, India.

Galaleng is a folk ballad sung by the Nath- Jogi community of South Rajasthan, who sing this ball... more Galaleng is a folk ballad sung by the Nath- Jogi community of South Rajasthan, who sing this ballad on the festival of Makar Sankranti. The present article is an attempt to bring in script a tale of heroic feats of a Rajput warrior of 18th Century which is sung in oral tradition in the tribal villages of Dungarpur and Banswara in the state of Rajasthan, INDIA.

The assimilation and use of knowledge has been practiced since time immemorial. It would be diffi... more The assimilation and use of knowledge has been practiced since time immemorial. It would be difficult to assign a date when man first faced some ailment and started looking for a respite. From natural urge to remove the pain caused by the ailment must have begun the search for means and methods of curing human ailments. If one were to record the ways in which ancient man attempted this, several means like herbs, leaves, bark of trees, grass, fruit, water, juice of different types, syrups, concoctions, ointments, minerals, parts of animals, heated earthen tiles, prayers, worship of deities, observance of fasts, visiting religious shrines, sun bath, soil therapy, feeding Brahmins, young girls and animals, chanting of Mantras, beating of drum and other instruments, offering coconuts to the deities or rivers/streams, walking long distances to visit a shrine and offer prayers, bathing in particular reservoirs of water near some shrines, touching the patients organ to a stone statue of some deity etc. could be found out. Even today in different countries and communities many of such practices are followed.

Though a lot of theory about humanities revolves round what is written and is available in print,... more Though a lot of theory about humanities revolves round what is written and is available in print, humanities do not confine to the written word. The understanding of utterances in tongues which are not very common and are not available in script is also the domain of Humanities. These languages belong to the communities which have been historically suppressed, dislodged and dispossessed. Colonization had inflicted on them denial, dislodgement and dispossession of their natural habitat and intellectual heritage. The doctrines of Terra Nullius and Homo Sacer have succeeded only partially in their representation, that too, as the victims of colonization. Theories of Orality only attempt at understanding their literary and often “Non-literary” discourses. In fact, it is not easy to mark where the literary ends and where the non-literary begins in the discourse of the unlettered.
The post colonial theoretical discourse marks a rise of the voice of the marginalized in terms of the discussion of the Expatriate, Diaspora, Black, Feminist and Dalit but the indigenous unlettered communities still remain marginalized and the much talked about slogans of “Inclusion” and “Democracy” sound hollow and meaningless in their context. The “Occupy Movements” in the context of the unlettered indigenous communities are ironically the state sponsored and mediated occupation strategies of the corporate dispossessing the indigenous communities of their land, occupation, culture and their languages.
The general consensus is that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages currently spoken, and that between 50-90% of those will have become extinct by the year 2100. The top 20 languages spoken by more than 50 million speakers each are spoken by 50% of the world's population, whereas many of the other languages are spoken by small communities, most of them with fewer than 10,000 speakers. About ninety percent of the languages which are endangered are spoken by indigenous communities. These communities are experiencing severe language loss with the mounting economic and political pressures to switch over to the dominant language groups. Their representation in Languages gradually diminishing to extinction calls for a new theoretical debate.
There is no dearth of examples where the nation states in the name of their sovereignty and “Unity” impose the culture of the dominant over them. In literary spheres too, the indigenous oral literatures are subjected to parameters of the dominant written literatures and critical practices to assess them. The real and the theoretical dichotomy embraces new dimensions in the context of communities with orality - based cultures.
The paper attempts to understand the possibilities of expanding the scope of humanities research in the context of the literature of the unlettered communities which exist even today in good numbers. The voice of this fourth world is caught between the theory of state patronage and the practice of total indifference multiplied by the suppressive and exploitative corporate capitalism.
Key words- Terra Nullius, Homo Sacer, Indigenous, Orality, Domination, Dispossessed, Theory

Abstract Talking of Folklore usually connotes a discourse on localized cultural practices, narra... more Abstract
Talking of Folklore usually connotes a discourse on localized cultural practices, narratives and performances. To a certain degree folklore celebrates diversity and distinct ethnic identities. Defined variously as assimilation of oral forms of knowledge viz. songs, stories, proverbs and life sciences, folklore is essentially the knowledge of the life and deeds of the masses. Since the language changes from place to place, the folklore too changes its form across the globe. There is, however, a common thread also which connects the folklore on one nation to that of the other. The respect attached to orality, the word of mouth is one such feature. Love for dance and music, bright colourful robes, and a preference for collectivity rather than individualism are some other common threads that characterize the folklore of the world.
The present paper is just an humble effort to understand the significance of Dhol- a percussion musical instrument of the folk as a tool of cultural convergence. It is used in various strata of the society beginning with the Kings and feudal lords to the ‘untouchables’. The tribal has several ways of using it .Not just for celebration and festivities, Dhol are used for sending a variety of messages. It is used as an independent percussion instrument played with palms as well as drumsticks. At times it is plays as an accompaniment to vocal performances. It has a religious function too. Particularly in temples and shrines it is played during Aarati and when the deity is invoked by the priest to come and speak through him to the devotees.
Like several other communities in Rajasthan who survived on music as their vocation, there is a community called Dholi whose members are skilled players and singers. They have been there on the periphery and received little respect for their skill. Although their presence had been taken for granted right from the birth of a child to the rituals associated with death. There are numerous sociological associations of the playing of Dhol right from its use at the birth of a male child to the marriage ceremonies like Ghudchadhi (Sitting of the bridegroom on the horse), Baraatchadhi (Marching of the marriage party in a procession) and invitation for the feast ( Sagrey Nyoto).The issues of patriarchy, feudal exhibitionism and social stratification are also associated with the use of Dhol. The paper attempts to examine various cultural practices in which Dhol has been/is used in different cultural groups.The data for the paper has been collected through personal interviews in various villages and towns of south Rajasthan besides the sources available.It is also attemted to study the use of drum in different parts of the world and see how the instrument becomes a symbol of community life all across the world.
Key Words- Dhol, percussion, patriarchy, tribal, messages, cultural practices, convergence.

The thirst for knowledge and the quest for exploring something new has been an urge of human psyc... more The thirst for knowledge and the quest for exploring something new has been an urge of human psyche from the very beginning. Through different forms of expression the observation and experience of people got reflected in human history. Journeys formed the

Democracy, by definition, connotes empowerment of people-derived from the Greek phonemes implying... more Democracy, by definition, connotes empowerment of people-derived from the Greek phonemes implying "People" and "Power". Originally it referred to the right of the citizens of the Greek city states to participate directly in the act of governance. In modern times it is defined as a political system of governance through elected representatives of the people. One of the basic assumptions of this system is that in democracy the state represents the aspirations of the people. These aspirations are best voiced in the languages people speak. Democracy, therefore, can best flourish when the state follows a language policy which is inclusive and can establish a "Connect" between the institutions of governance and the people at large.

The Second World War brought about a major power shift. The world's power center moved from Europ... more The Second World War brought about a major power shift. The world's power center moved from Europe to the United States of America. For almost ten centuries Europe had remained the centre of the world. But in 1945, with the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, as if by the effect of the tremor of the blasts, the reigns slipped from the hands of Europe and were quickly grabbed by the United States. The United Nations Organizations which was formed to develop an international understanding among nations through which peace and harmony could be maintained, could not serve its purpose well. Instead it became a puppet of the United States of America. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1980s, the world became unipolar with the United States of America assuming the role of a super power dictating other countries in all matters of political, strategic, economic and development issues directly or through agencies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. England joined the United States as its junior partner and participated in several military operations in the name of "Allied Forces" in the Middle East. One after the other the leaders of countries like Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Tunisia were liquidated in the name of democracy and peace and wars were thrust upon them. Now it is more than clear that Iraq was attacked in the name of destroying the non-existent weapons of Mass Destruction. The American interest, particularly in Petroleum, was the main reason behind such military actions. The British forces too, were deployed in the name of upholding democracy in these troubled countries. Thousands of British officers and soldiers were deployed in these actions.

India is a vast country with numerous cultural regions in which different languages are spoken an... more India is a vast country with numerous cultural regions in which different languages are spoken and different art forms thrive. Although the Constitution of India has recognized only twenty two languages in the eighth schedule, there are a large number of languages in the country which have a rich treasure of literature in the written as well as oral form. These literary compositions form the fabric of our composite culture. Rajasthan is the biggest state of India in terms of land area. It touches the boundary of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi, Punjab and a big part of the international border with Pakistan. The area of Rajasthan is 132,139 Square miles which forms about 10.4 % of the total area of the country. The state has a population of nearly seventy million. A majority of these speak Rajasthani. Although it is not yet a part of the eighth schedule and the official language of the state is Hindi, a very rich literary tradition of Rajasthani literature exists in the state. D.R.Ahuja in his book Folklore of Rajasthan talks about the rich tradition of Oral Literature of Rajasthan: Rajasthan Folklore is rich in oral literature which is divided in two parts, heard and seen. The prose and poetry comprise folk tales, proverbs and sayings, ballads and folk songs. The 'seen' literature is most important and is based on historical events. Khayals, a lyrical composition, are medium of entertainment, so are the puppet shows, most popular forms of entertainment for rural folk. (140) The state is divided into several cultural areas based on different dialects of Rajasthani spoken in the region. They are Marwar (Marwari), Mewar (Mewari), Dhundhad (Dhundhadi) , Hadoti