Skip to content
AC
Browse articles

Folk Media's Role in Kerala's Freedom Struggle

By V.S. Pradeep Kumar, Priya Pradeep

Vol. 33June 2024pp. 321–337English
Freedom StruggleIndian History

Summary

The article examines the significant role of folk media in India's freedom struggle, particularly in Kerala, highlighting its accessibility and effectiveness in mobilizing public sentiment against colonial rule. It emphasizes that folk media, encompassing songs, dances, theatre, and oral traditions, served as vital communication tools for grassroots-level social and political awareness. During the nationalist movement, leaders leveraged these traditional forms—such as Jatra in Bengal, Tamasha in Maharashtra, and Theyyam in Kerala—to disseminate nationalist ideas, counter colonial propaganda, and rally marginalized communities. The study focuses on Kerala's folk media, including Kummi Pattu and Padayani, to illustrate how regional art forms amplified nationalist discourse and fostered collective resistance. By analyzing songs, performances, and community engagement, the research underscores folk media's unique ability to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers, making it a potent instrument for social change and political mobilization during India's independence movement.

AI-assisted summary, not yet checked. Consult the original PDF before citing.

Conclusion

This study highlights the critical role of folk media in India's freedom struggle, particularly in Kerala, where traditional forms like songs, dances, and theatre became powerful tools for nationalist mobilization. By leveraging the accessibility and cultural resonance of folk media, leaders disseminated anti-colonial ideas, countered British propaganda, and galvanized rural populations. The research emphasizes how these indigenous communication channels—rooted in simplicity, emotional appeal, and local dialects—effectively bridged gaps between intellectuals and marginalized communities, fostering national consciousness. The findings underscore the need to recognize folk media's historical significance in social movements, offering valuable insights for contemporary grassroots communication strategies in India.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

  • “The present study is an attempt to highlight the role played by the folk media in Kerala in the freedom movement and how it helped in disseminating nationalist ideas among the public and mobilizing them against foreign rule.”
  • “Nationalist movement in India used traditional folk media to expose colonial injustice and to mobilize support for the national movement. The colonial rulers monopolized the modern mass media like radio and newspapers. So, the nationalists relied on their own media i.e., dance, dramas, songs, poetry, puppetry, etc.”
  • “As in other states, leaders of the nationalist movement in Kerala also used folk media as an effective weapon to expose colonial injustice, develop national consciousness and mobilize support for the struggle for freedom.”

Works cited in this article

  1. Priyamol, M.S., (2005). Communication Strategy and Propaganda Techniques of Communist Movement in Kerala, Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Calicut. p. 23.
  2. Varier, Raghava M.R., (1993). “Style and pattern in Malayalam folk narrative poetry with special reference to Vadakkan pattukal”, University of Calicut. pp. 313-314.
  3. Iyer, Krishna L.A., (1970). Social History of Kerala, Book Centre Publications, University of Michigan. p. 131.
  4. Kumar, Harish, (2006). “Folk Media and Rural Development”, Indian Media Studies Journal, Vol.1, No.1., Satish Serial Pub. House, Delhi. pp. 93-98.
  5. Pradeep, Priya & Pradeep Kumar, V.S., (2020). “Folk Arts and Social Communication through Poorakkali in Kerala”, The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society, Vol.111, Mythic Society, Bengaluru. pp. 76-84.

Discussed in this article

People

  • Mukunda Das
  • Balwant Gargi
  • Krishna Iyer
  • Harish Kumar
  • Durga Das Mukhopadhyay
  • Motilal Roy
  • K. Damodaran
  • Cherukad
  • Ponkunnam Varkey
  • Mahatma Gandhi 57
  • K.T Muhammad
  • Mr. V.S. Pradeep Kumar
  • Dr. Priya Pradeep

Places

AI guide

Discuss this record

Ask about the article, its topics, issue context, selected passages, or reading strategy.

Start with the record

I can unpack the summary, turn it into study questions, explain a selected passage, or compare it with the other articles in this issue.

Article order

In this issue

Vol. 33
9–10Diverse Historical Perspectives: Art, Medieval Studies, and Environmental History in 33rd JIHC IssueG. J. Sudhakar11–38Neolithic to Megalithic Transition in Kashmir Valley: A New PerspectiveAbdul Adil Paray39–46Ancient Megalithic Cemetery Discovery in Red Hills, Madras (Chennai)Anantanarayanan Raman47–63Literary Sources on Early Medieval Kashmir's PolityJasleen Kour64–84Jotilesvara and Jalpesvara Temples: Hybrid Architecture of JalpaiguriArka Acharjee85–107Central Indian Urban Centres in Early Medieval Period: Insights from EpigraphsSurabhi Srivastava108–124Motifs Representing Natural Elements in Kherua's Viṣṇu IconographyNoor Bano Sattar125–145Sa-skya Codex: Sri Lanka-Tibet Relations Through Palaeographic AnalysisN.E.I. Wijerathne146–160Excavating Rajapura's Twelfth-Century Shiva Temple: Paramara Art and Tantric InfluencesNikita Rathore161–183Tangible Cultural Heritage: A Study on Ahom WeaponsSauradeep Nath, Alok Tripathi184–204Perilous Journeys in Manasamangal and ChandimangalSwarnali Biswas205–227Akbar's Musical Encounters with Bhakti Saints: Braj SourcesHuma Aizaj228–241Mughal Translation of Laghu-Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha: Cultural Synthesis and GovernanceAliyas Hussain Sheikh242–258The Making of the Coromandel Coast: Economy and Polity in the 17th and 18th CenturiesAkhil A R259–280Revisiting Bayly’s ‘Informational Breakdown and Political Decline’: The Mughal StateRam Shankar Sah281–299Marian Hastings: Nabobina and Imperial Power in 18th-Century IndiaDivya Kumar300–320British Colonial Legal Subjugation and Veer Surendra Sai's ResistanceSasmita Rani Shasini321–337Folk Media's Role in Kerala's Freedom StruggleV.S. Pradeep Kumar, Priya PradeepCurrent article338–352Gender in Assamese Nationalism: Framing Women's Roles in Colonial AssamMunmi Pathak353–368Unsettled Lives: Displacement in Sundargarh District, Odisha - A Post-Colonial PerspectiveEfrem Kullu369–392Resettlement Realities: Unravelling the Refugee Crisis in Malda District (1947-1971)Palas Kumar Saha, Biplab Biswas393–408Forest and Forest Tribes of Early Bengal: Literary Insights (5th-12th Century CE)Saradindu Sahu409–425Ayyanakere: Karnataka's Ancient Lake and Its FolkloreD. S. Somashekhar, Sarvamangala G426–436Pachyderm Prestige: Elephants in Medieval Indian RoyaltyShakir Nabi Dar437–447Nature Perception in 17th-18th Century Bengal: A Historical AnalysisRajib Sarkar448–468Colonial Intervention and Forest Management in Jammu and Kashmir (1880s-1920s)Gowar Zahid Dar469–480Folk Festivals and Sacred Groves of Palakkad Region: A Cultural StudyRohinikrishnan R481–485The Ceremonial of Power: Shah Jahan's Court and Mughal EmpireHarit Joshi486–491Vishwanath Rises and Rises: The Eternal Spirit of KashiMeenakshi Jain

Original PDF

Inline viewer

Checking source PDF

The viewer will load here if the archive file is reachable.

Continue reading

Related articles

Journal of Indian History and Culture

Telugu Songs, Theatre, and Cinema in South India's Freedom Struggle

By Srinath Sriperumbudur

December 2021
Journal of Indian History and Culture

Telugu Songs, Theatre, and Cinema in South India's Freedom Struggle

By Srinath Sriperumbudur

December 2021