Abstract
The paper discusses the importance of incorporating the study of oral literature in the syllabi of English literature across the country in order to know the Lokāyata tradition. It also connects this with the growth of organic intellectuals who can inspire radical change by understanding the evolution of the cultural roots of the country with a direct involvement of the masses. The paper illustrates this through a comparative study of Macaulay and Grierson, the two British officers, and their approaches to the issue. The former advocated the study of British literature, whereas the latter emphasised the readings of oral tradition. The paper advocates an overall internal change in the syllabi through the inclusion of the Indian oral tradition for the benefit of its masses.
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Notes
- 1.
The English Education Act of 1835 was a legislative Act of the Council of India, under East India Company, which reallocated funds to spend on Education in India towards teaching a Western curriculum with English as the language of instruction. Thomas Babington Macaulay delivered his Minute on Education on 2nd of February, 1835, in the British Parliament, which underlined the superiority of Western knowledge over the Indian.
- 2.
Lokāyata, also known as Cārvāka, is a quasi-school of Indian materialistic philosophy, which rejected the Vedic scriptures, afterlife, and moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death). This philosophical school has almost disappeared in present times, but it lives in the oral narratives of marginalised sections of the society.
- 3.
King Salhes is a folklore hero of the people belonging to the Dusadh caste in Mithila region (presently North Bihar). He was worshipped for his magical abilities. He also has an antagonist called Chuharmal, who belonged to the same caste. Salhes is also a part of the folktales related to the river Koshi.
- 4.
Ramanujan’s Folktales from India has 110 tales translated from 22 Indian languages.
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Jha, P. (2019). The Organic Intellectual and English Studies in India. In: Mahanta, B., Sharma, R. (eds) English Studies in India. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1525-1_10
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