Epics in Imprints-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
Introduction
ORAL TRADITION OF THE RAMAYANA IN BENGAL
Oral tradition of literature in a social
group develops in two ways—firstly
it is derived from literary source,
secondly it originates in an unlettered
social group of ultimately becomes the
source of its art literature. The oral
tradition of the Ramayana in the various
States of Indian Union has been based on
the great Indian epic, the Ramayana by
the great poet Valmiki. Though composed
in classical Sanskrit not intelligible to the
unlettered, yet due to the efforts of a class
of oral expounders it was made understood
to the unlettered mass irrespective of caste
and creed. It is apparent in the Ramayana
itself that Lava and Kusa, the two sons of
Ramachandra, the hero of the Ramayana
were the first two expounders of the
Ramayana and the great poet Valmiki
himself gave special training to them in this
method. Therefore, it seems that since the
very completion of the great epic by Valmiki
it is being expounded before the mass in a
method intelligible to the unlettered. Thus
illiteracy has never been a bar in India for
learning in literature, philosophy and even
higher scriptures. This practice of popular
exposition of the Ramayana continued
throughout the centuries and throughout
the whole of India and has been handed
down to the present day in an absolutely
unbroken tradition.
ASUTOSH BHATTACHARYA
20
Kathakata :
By Kathakata is meant discourse of the
Puranas and the epics specially the
Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the
Bhagavata by a literate person making the
theme more attractive than
understandable to the unlettered and halfliterate
by means of music, dramatic
monologue and prose narrations. It is only
one man’s performance. The Kathak, the
reciter or the expounder first of all recites
a couplet from the texts either in Sanskrit
or in archaic Bengali and then goes on to
elucidate it by quoting parallel couplets
from the recognized authorities making his
elucidation popular by appropriate popular
similes and metaphors and music sung by
himself and reciting some monologues. As
far as the Ramayana is concerned this may
continue for a week, twelve days or even
upto a full month, according to the demand
of the situation. In the Bengali translation
of the Ramayana by Krittivasa, some of the
traditions which developed orally due to
Kattakata have also been incorporated.
(Extracted from “the Ramayana
Tradition in Asia”. Sahitya Akadami
Ed.V.Raghavan: New Delhi 1989)