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Myth and Oral Tradition as a Political Vehicle

October 2019

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Ansal University

We live in times when we often debate whether to believe on what is in front of us (fact) or what we should assimilate from it. In the constant noise that is surrounding us, moments of reflection are rare. It is these moments and samvaad (discussion) rather than vivaad (argument) that will take us closer to the truth. We should remember each of us has a morsel of what is the whole truth. A large part of what we consume thus, is oral. We also have to consider the fact that much of myth comes to us from oral history. Pattanaik, 2017 refers to myth as somebody's truth, which in contemporary times holds as much importance as the written word. A view that Mayaram (2006, p.7) agrees with when she refers to it as being a powerful source of collective representations that celebrates collective memory. We cannot and should not dismiss it, just because it is not documented in writing. Infact, India has had a history of oral traditions and writing came much later.

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"VIVAAD” Image Source: Devdutt. (2015). Argument as cognitive violence - Devdutt. [online] Available at:

https://devdutt.com/articles/argument-as-cognitive-violence/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2019].

Savar Suri

3 articles

Keywords:!Myth, Tradition, History, Story, Politics

We live in times when we often debate whether to believe on what is in front of us (fact) or

what we should assimilate from it. In the constant noise that is surrounding us, moments of

reﬂection are rare. It is these moments and!samvaad!(discussion) rather

than!vivaad!(argument) that will take us closer to the truth. We should remember each of us

has a morsel of what is the whole truth. A large part of what we consume thus, is oral. We

also have to consider the fact that much of myth comes to us from oral history.!

Pattanaik, 2017 refers to myth as somebody’s truth, which in contemporary times holds as

much importance as the written word. A view that Mayaram (2006, p.7) agrees with when

she refers to it as being a powerful source of collective representations that celebrates

collective memory. We cannot and should not dismiss it, just because it is not documented in

writing. Infact, India has had a history of oral traditions and writing came much later.

Around 2,000 years ago, the Mahabharata had been put down in writing in Vedic Sanskrit,

after centuries of oral transmission (Devdutt Pattanaik, 2018). However, we should not let it

become a tool to create dissent and divide, the ramiﬁcations of which we are being witness

to, in contemporary times. Thapar (2014, p.239) refers to this as a mechanism being created

to help with political mobilisation, which is always useful prior to elections. She cites an

example of the Ramasetu project, as diverting attention from the real problems that surround

us. This is in tune with a narrative of mass hysteria that is being created in contemporary

times. Those questioning it are being told that they perhaps are not secular. Such a notion is

absurd and opposite to the very spirit of secularism, with regards to the Indian constitution.

Myth and oral history should unite and not divide. Stories are and always have been a potent

tool for political and cultural propaganda argues Pattanaik (2017, p.4).!

At the core of this subject is the fact that, stories matter and people matter. As!Pattanaik

(2017, p.1) says, we are all storytellers. We just don’t realise it. At the very core of this

debate, lie the people. The people for whom the myth matters, the story matters. Thapar

(2014, p.240) makes a very pertinent point where she calls us as a society, which is so

impressed with ﬁgures and graphs that we tend to forget that each number is actually a

human being and it is important to note if it weren’t for oral history, the history of an entire

community, the Meo’s would have been lost, a fact highlighted by Mayaram (2006, p.1). To

conclude, it is undeniable that myth or the truth of a people which is often found in the

intangible like oral traditions are of utmost importance and cannot be ignored.

Reference List

MAYARAM, S. (2006).!Against history, against state: Counterperspectives from the

margins. Delhi,!Permanent!black.

PATTANAIK, D. (2017).!Culture: 50 Insights From Mythology.!Noida,!HarperCollins.

Devdutt Pattanaik (2018).!Devdutt Pattanaik The spread of Hinduism. [online] mid-

day. Available at: https://www.mid-day.com/articles/devdutt-pattanaik-the-spread-of-

hinduism/19461159 [Accessed 15 Oct. 2019].

THAPAR, R. (2014).!The past as present: forging contemporary identities through

history.!New Delhi, Aleph Book Company.

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Savar Suri

Architect (M. Arch, B. Arch) | Author

Published • 2y

3 articles

Myth and Oral Tradition as a Political Vehicle

#politics #myth #tradition #history #culture #mythology #story #societyandculture #politics #thinkpiece

#books #political

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Sakshi Srivastava

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Great insights!

Savar Suri

Architect (M. Arch, B. Arch) | Author

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Thank you so much Sakshi! Hope you like the other articles too.

Savar Suri

Architect (M. Arch, B. Arch) | Author

Myth and Oral Tradition as a Political Vehicle

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