The Role of Folk Songs in Social Movements: A Case Study on the Separate Telangana State Formation in India

Introduction

Social exclusion and inclusion indicators are the “key indicators” for the birth of all social movements. The Telangana Dhoom Dham was the crescendo of collective consciousness at its peaks through folk songs and other folk arts and resulted in violent and aggressive modes of operation like humiliating, demolishing, attacking the Andhra dominance and suicides became a sign of protest for self-identity and separate statehood. Whenever there is social unrest, the folk song evolves in the form of ‘protest or revolutionary song’ from the poets, writers, balladeers and lyricists. The ‘folk consciousness’ infiltrated by the poets, balladeers, politicians, academicians and intellectuals had succeeded in bringing the ‘collective consciousness’ among Telangana people to fight for Telangana cause. Thus the folk song played a significant role in shaping the collective identity, collective consciousness and collective experience which forced the emergence of formation of new Telangana state.

Concept of Social Movements.

Social movements erupt whenever there is a serious political or social issue in the state or any part of the country. The social movements involve individuals, large groups or masses or organizations and strive for the social change... Modern Social movements used the technology effectively the disseminate the persuaded messages.

Mario Diani says “A network of informal interactions between a plurality of individuals, groups and /or organizations, engaged in a political or cultural conflict, on the basis of a shared collective identity.”

Charles Tilly accounts that social movements projects a series of performances, campaigns, protests and displays. The normal ordinary people possess the collective identity and claims on others.

The Role of Folk Songs in the Telangana Movement.

The Concept of Folk Song represents people’s culture and tradition. It says that Folk songs apply irrespective of every culture of the universe. That’s why it’s called People’s song

“A song originating among the people of a country or area, passed by oral tradition from on singer or generation to the next, often existing in several versions, and marked generally by simple, modal melody and stanzaic”

Roy stresses that social movements disseminate and publicize the culture. The movements bring the shared identity and sense of belonging and culture with the aid of various vernacular forms like art, drama, literature, music and dance. The folk song became a powerful tool for all the social movements in Telangana. Over the period the folk song has evolved as a protest song, martyr song and revolutionary song etc. The Telangana poets and writers, written folk songs to address the various social issues and injustice from the Nizam’s ruling to latest formation of Telangana and will continue further in future as well.

The folk song brought the collective experience, collective identity and collective consciousness and mobilized the groups/people and struggled for the formation of separate statehood. Ron Eyerman also stresses that music plays a crucial central role to send the messages out to recruiting groups. The collective identity or identification and collective consciousness can be achieved through the collective experience of music or song. The Music persuades the bodily movement, contact and collective experience.

The phenomena of social exclusion and the social consciousness raised over a period which triggers the lack of opportunities in the collective people gradually develop into social movements. Folk Songs became the medium of communication for raising the social consciousness of the social movements. Telangana has experienced social movements with regard social exclusion factors like caste, poverty, education, women rights, land rights, the ban on liquor freedom struggle etc. Peasant Movements; Women movements and Dalit movements; Region movements, Jai Andhra Movement ; Sayudha Raithanga Poratam; Separate Telangana movement of 1969, Second Phase of Telangana movement 1990-2009, Samaikya Andhra Pradesh movement, to name a few. The balladeers penned the folk songs with the narratives which connect to common man’s ideas of social exclusion. The folk songs are catchy and connect to hearts of people and spread rapidly. Folk songs became the expression of a protest song, a self-respect song, cry for freedom and liberation gives a loud voice for equal opportunities, provides a strong dissent on the exploitation of equal rights as well. The Folk songs became a strong bond to hold collective people’s emotions and their raised social consciousness and social movements.

Telangana Dhoom Dham

Dhoom - Dham is the crucial instrumental factor in the formation of Telangana state. Dhoom Dham is a cultural revolution which had brought all Telangana people together and fought for the cause of New Telangana state formation.

Well Noted Telangana folk singer Rasamai Balakrishna says that

"Dhoom- Dham united with Telangana folk songs had brought together people cutting across caste and creed working as a binding factor during the movement. It was the cultural revolution that brought the people of different ideologies - the TRS, CPI, BJP, party - on the one platform called the TJAC which played a significant role in the movement. From the first 'Dhoom-Dham' organised at Kamareddy in 2002, it had become an integral part of the movement.

Dhoom- Dham was instrumental for all agitations which led to the formation of new state Telangana. The folk songs played an instrumental role in Telangana armed struggle to fight back against the oppressive Nizam rulers. The folk songs can provoke, sensitize, mobilize people for the movement. The folk songs of Telangana had left a profound impact on the statehood movement as it played a significant role in the success of the 'Dhoom Dham' a cultural revolution which was a vital part of the agitations.

The well-noted revolutionary folk songs of balladeers like Gaddar, Goreti Venkanna, Vimalakka, Andesri, Kodada Srinu, Rasamai Balakrishna, Gidde Ramnarsaiah, Thelu Vijaya, daruvu Yellanna, Pailam Santosh and Saichand etc. penned the revolutionary folk songs and inspired huge masses of Telangana. Gaddar's song "Podusthunna Podhumeedha, Nadusthunna

Kalama, Veera Telanganama" became all-time hit folk song all over Telangana during the movement. The Telangana Non- Resident Indians in US, UK and other countries also played a crucial role in mobilizing funds for Dhoom-Dham events and also imbibed the culture of Telangana and also shown their great love and brave heart for the formation of new state Telangana.

During the times of genesis of Telangana movement, thousands of songs were produced. There were hundreds of new voice came in to light. The pro-Telangana poets and writers expressed their solidarity and great for the cause of Telangana.

The folk song became protest song. The folk song has changed its genre and content accordingly with the context and situation.

The research paper especially focuses on the “Telangana Dhoom-Dham” songs. The Protest songs worked as a catalyst for the movement. As the research paper earlier mentioned there was the genesis of thousands of songs. The research paper may be quite difficult with the time consumption for date collection and analysis. The paper is limited to well-noted balladeers whose penned folk songs became highly popular in “Telangana Dhoom Dham” events and became a cause for the collection consciousness and crescendo struggle for the separate Telangana. The study examined the well noted revolutionary folk songs of balladeers like Gaddar, Goreti Venkanna, Andesri, Kodada Srinu, Rasamai Balakrishna, Gidde Ramnarsaiah, Thelu Vijaya, Daruvu Yellanna, Pailam Santosh and Saichand etc.

Some of Well Noted Folk Singers in Telangana

“For the construction of movement the ‘cultural army’ is an essential tool for bringing the mobility among the masses and The cultural army who penned folk songs and sung by the well noted folk singers like Goreti Venkanna, Gaddar, Vimalakka, Ande Sri, Rasamai Balakrishna, and others disseminated the shared identity in to the masses of Telangana.

Gaddar song: Podusthunna Poddumeedha Nadusthunna Gaanama Porutelanganama

Poru Telanganama kotladi pranama bhale bhale bhale, hu Aa hu Aa… is one of the most significant songs which played a key role in the Telangana movement.giving a call for collective identity and resistance.

Gaddar is the most well-known Balladeer from Telangana known for social activism. Gaddar is “popular name”. His actual is Gummadi Vittal Rao, born to poor dalit family in Medak district. He has penned several folk songs for the working class and oppressed people and to the social justice

‘Aadudham Dapulla Dharuveyy ra palle Telangana pata paadaraa’

‘Kolaatamu jada koppeyeraa Doolantoo alwwpi dumkaadaraa.’

By Vimalakka.

Vimalakka. Her full name is Arunodaya Vimala, popularly known as Vimalakka born in Aleru, Nalgonda district in 1964. She is well known Telangana balladeer and social activist and joined the Joint Action Committee for the separation of Telangana State. She has given numerous performances in all Telangana districts and sensitized for the Telangana cause.

Goreti Venkanna performing in Telangana Dhoom Dham.

‘Doring Parugu Paruguvochinaru Patnamula Vaalinaru’ song.

Well noted Balladeer "'Goreti Venkanna"'. Goreti Venkanna is a popular poet and folk singer from Telangana. He was born in Gowraram village in Mahbubnagar district in 1963. He penned several folk songs for farmers, peasants living conditions. He was significant Telangana separatist activist. His song “Palle Kanneru Peduthundo” written for Telugu movie “Kubusum” became popular and moved the masses. He is one of the cultural icons of Telangana.

Song: ‘Jaya Jayahe Telangana Janani Jayakethama, Mukkoti Gonthukalu Okatina Chetanam’

‘Taratarala cheritagall thalli ni rajanam Jai Telangana jai jaii Telanagana’.

By Dr Ande Sri .well known Poet and Lyricist Andesri. He was born in 1961, near Janagoan in Warangal district. Known for the same popular song “Jaya Jaya he Telangana Janani Jaya

Ketanam” which was honored as “Telangana State Song”. He has penned songs for Telangana cause and penned songs for films and won Nandi award for “Ganga” film.

Rasamai Balakishan is infiltrating the collective aspirations of Dhoom Dham.

Rasamai Balakrishna is popular Telangana poet, singer and lyricist born in Raorukela village in Siddipet. He played a crucial role for Telangana cause. He was the convener for Telangana Dhoom Dham Committee. He headed the cultural troupe for the formation of Telangana. He appointed as MLA for Mankondur constituency in Karimnagar district and currently works as the chairman for Telangana Culture Department.

Girls were actively participating in during Telangana March in 2012.

This can be seen as space created for Telangana women to enter into the public sphere and express their voice as well. Women and Children are inseparable. The children of Telangana were also highly inspired by the cause of Telangana and actively participated, and the mother and parents also encouraged the children to take an active part in the collective consciousness for the formation of Telangana.

Protester were participating at Tank Bund in Hyderabad during Million March in 2011.

Conclusion

Folk songs had brought the collective identity and consciousness among the people of Telangana and had brought the separate statehood. From the time of Telangana armed struggle to Telangana State formation, the role of folk songs is pivotal in social movements. The research paper clearly depicts how the folk the role of folk songs is enormous and played a special significant role in the formation of Telangana. The protest song became the siren to alert and demanded attention and participation to fight against the social exclusion factors which had been prevalent for so long time. The folk song which had undergone metamorphosis into protest and revolutionary song had raised the voice against all significant social exclusion and inclusion indicators like feudalism, social and economic exploitation, denial of power, resources exploitation, water crisis, underdevelopment, drought, poverty, alienation, suppression of cultural identity, social injustice, bonded labor, migration of labor, suicides, gender inequality, caste discrimination and for separate statehood in Telangana.

Telangana Dhoom- Dham, the Cultural Revolution was well thought of by the Telangana supportive political parties, politicians, intellectuals, poets and singers. Telangana Dhoom-Dham became a platform to entertain, educate, sensitize and provoke for the separate formation of new state Telangana. The singers penned their own songs which reflected the identity and cultural issues, equal rights, denial of the power and injustice. The mob hysteria of Dhoom-Dham became an instant hit in the masses, and all the pro-Telangana political parties and intellectuals planned and decided, Dhoom-Dham is the major weapon to draw the attention of a considerable number of masses and fight for the separation of Telangana state. The folk songs became an instant hit. The caller ring tones were downloaded in lakhs. The folk songs became house hold songs. Lakhs of sharing auto rickshaw wallah's played the popular Telangana folk songs to the customers. The folk songs became a Cultural Revolution wave hit. The folk songs were owned and sung by the children, villagers, rural and urban, old people, intellectuals, politicians and academicians as well.

The rhetoric words used in the folk songs had made realized the Telangana people that how much injustice suffered for the last seven decades. The Folksongs made the Telangana people to be volatile and reactive to the movement. The folk songs pumped the aggression on the exploiters of Telangana. The folk songs also made it realized "Now or Never", "Do or Die".

The social movements are directed towards social change and have specific goals. The folk song addresses the social and cultural issues and tries to reinforce the social change. Every word and stanza in the folk song are highly charged political expressions to bring the social cohesion and social integration. The folk song infiltrated the radical aspirations and disseminated the revolutionary ideology and succeeded to attain the specific goal – the formation of Telangana State.

Social exclusion and inclusion indicators are the “key indicators” for the birth of all social movements. The Telangana Dhoom Dham was the crescendo of collective consciousness at its peaks through folk songs and other folk arts and resulted in violent and aggressive modes of operation like humiliating, demolishing, attacking the Andhra Pradesh dominance and suicides became a sign of protest for self-identity and separate statehood. Whenever there is social unrest, the folk song evolves in the form of ‘protest or revolutionary song’ from the poets, writers, balladeers and lyricists. The ‘folk consciousness’ infiltrated by the poets, balladeers, politicians, academicians and intellectuals had succeeded in bringing the ‘collective consciousness’ among Telangana people to fight for Telangana cause. Thus the folk song played a significant role in shaping the collective identity, collective consciousness and collective experience which forced the emergence of formation of new Telangana state.

References