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Literary Review
Alternative histories
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Presented with sincerity and charm, this collection of Dogri folk tales keeps the magic of `Once upon a time' alive, says VIJAYA RAMASWAMY.
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THE phrase "Once upon a time" never fails to provoke a sense of anticipation in most of us. There is, after all, a child who continues to reside in the adult. It is precisely with this sense of anticipation that I picked up this book of Dogri folk tales and I was not disappointed.
These are simple tales presented with sincerity and charm. To the present day folklorist/anthropologist, oral traditions constitute "soft evidence". In the absence of historical or literary documentation of the lives of the common folk, oral traditions such as folk tales, ballads and folk songs become invaluable as sources of information, providing the key to what historians today call "alternative histories". A folklorist cum anthropologist, speaking of folk traditions, put it succinctly: "Soft evidence may be poor evidence but it is evidence." I am sure scholars of ethno-history could use this set of Dogri tales with profit.
My primary interest is these stories themselves, which have a wide trope, ranging from didactic tales to powerful women-oriented themes. There is, however, no attempt by the editor and translator, Shivnath to straightjacket these stories into neat categories. The tales flow spontaneously as it were, winding their way through a maze of magic, mysteries and devotional themes.
The very first tale tells us that the active force behind creation was Parvati's Shakti rather than Siva's power. In the tale she is referred to as Bidh Mata, Bidh meaning "destiny". The males were shaped strong and sinewy by Siva and the women made slender and beautiful by Parvati. When the Devas raised doubts about the sheer biological inequality between the sexes, Parvati assured them saying: "I am giving a special piece of my shakti to her. With this, she will remain the Centre of Life. ... Woman will become a storehouse of mental power. Where energy in man will show itself in the shape of physical strength, my Shakti in the mind of woman will remain hidden. When woman uses this energy consciously or unconsciously, she will be capable of altering destiny." (p.13-14)
Why is the moon cool and soothing and the sun hot and scorching? Thereby hangs a Dogri tale where the cosmic universe gets linked to the domestic hearth. The sun and the moon were both suns of Bidh Mata. The sun was disobedient and rude to his mother. One day his mother pleaded with him to rub her aching back. Instead of easing her pain the naughty son/sun scorched her back and hurt her with a prickly broom. Seeing his mother's pain the moon started applying balm to her back and fanned her with cool breath. The mother cursed the sun saying. "You'll always continue to burn in the same way as you made my back burn." She blessed the moon saying. "The way you've soothed me, you'll always remain cool and comforting." And so...
Given the importance of the Bidh Mata in Dogri culture, it seems but natural that destiny should play a powerful role in many of these tales ("Destiny", p.33-39; "The Lucky One: Punnu", p.40-42; "Jasmine Flower", p.96-98 ). While strong faith in destiny characterises many of these stories, one is surprised by the occasional element of deviance which creeps into some of them. The story "Who is Untouchable" clearly indicates that a man/woman is Brahmin or Shudra by deed and not so much by birth. The story reminds one of the Jabala Maharshi tale from the Chandogya Upanishad which is part of the Sanskritic tradition. Jabali is a low caste "servant" woman who gives birth to an illegitimate child. She sends the boy to a Gurukul where the boy truthfully narrates the nature of his birth and the fact that he knows his mother alone. The teacher tells him that his brahminhood is proved by his quality of truthfulness and takes him in. "Who is Untouchable" is a story well worth further research.
Stories like "Woman's Will" and "Riddle Girl" are women oriented and focus on the courage and initiative of women. The key idea in the tales being "Woman is the mistress of her will." (p.102). The opening story, which talks about Shakti also reflects the concept of woman power. "Rain of Fishes" however talks not so much about women's will as about her cunning.
One is reminded of the "greater tradition" of Panchatantra tales while reading stories like "A Sparrow and a Buffalo" and "A Vixen and a Cock", stories which are didactic as well as entertaining. In this particular genre "The Hair of Gold" is endearing because of its charming prosody.
The collection consists of 56 folk rules from Dogri culture. A brief review like the present one cannot do justice to these wide ranging stories. I would just like to say that Dogri Folk Tales makes good reading on a rainy day and will be an interesting gift to give book-thirsty youngsters.
Dogri Folk Tales, translated and edited by Shivnath, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 2001, p.176, Rs. 80.
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