Research Proposal
PAPER MAC-304: Seminar Course on Dissertation and Production
Topic
Effect of modern music on traditional marriage songs among Meena Community
M.A. Dissertation Supervisor
Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi
Submitted by
Mahesh Kumar Meena
MACMS007
M.A. 3rd Semester
Department of Culture and Media Studies
Central University of Rajasthan
Introduction
India isa culturally rich country in the world. Marriage is mutual understanding most of the India communities.Hindu religion has many communities and they have different marriage styles and practices. In the urban areas the popular culture and modern culture of performing marriage ceremony can easily see. But the culture of villages almost different from urban culture or we can say from popular culture. In various part of India we can find the varieties of rituals associated with marriage. In Hindu mythology songs are very important part of daily and spiritual life.Music plays a vital role in marriages among urban and rural areas. The content of marriage songs among rural areas are differ from community to community. Marriage is a social practice for human being. The practices of singing songs in marriages is very old and significant role in Hindu society. These songs has some social and cultural messages hidden in then. To depict the social issues and evil they developed a medium called music.
Indian culture has continuously emphasized the importance of orality.Marriage in India is a sacrament. It is a social obligation to the family and the community. It has been noted since long time that the choice of marriage partners is always comes from the bride’s side.
The marriage system is very strong and long process practice. From the begin of the selecting the bride or bridegroom. They perform many ceremonies from the starting to end of the day of completing marriage and each ceremonies has associate with songs. Whether it is process of selecting the area of bride and bridegroom family. This is common in both urban and rural area.
The real saga of Indian marriage system can be seen in rural areas perfectly where a lot of rituals and occasions takes place in a marriage. The marriage process earlier did extend over a period of seven, five and three years. That time the barber or family Brahmin to the girls was responsible to search for a suitable bridegroom. They never searched this in the same village or the same kinship village or same gotravillage. It is very interesting that in a village most of the women comes from different villages because of this gortaavoiding process. Oscar Lewis reported that according to a census taken in his studied village, “Rampur”, the 266 married women in the came from about 200 different villages at distances of up to 40 miles, with the average distance between 12 and 24 miles. The significance of this mobility is that brides go to live in the homes of their husbands and wherever they go, they transmit their repertoire of folksongs. So, in the areas interrelated by marriages, the same songs recur in many villages. Two of the most significant ceremonies in the wedding cycle are the lagan(sending of the reminder of the wedding) and the phehre(Circling the Sacred Fire). In villages there are a lot of songs, and these songs are associated for various rituals in the wedding.This can be seen in marriages that how many type of songs are sung by people in rural area. Most of marriage song are sung by woman. They follow the particular style to sing these songs during marriage.They do not have written collection of these songs and they modify them while singing without losing and breaking rhythm.
The collection of traditional marriage songs among rural areas is huge. On the occasion of every ritual there is song sung by them. This practice of singing song in marriage has long development history. However they are socially strong in nature and have influence on the same community people. In the marriage these song has categories according to ritual of marriage. Some of them vulgar and not considered good song in rural area. But they enjoy them singing.
This study will focus on that is the modern era of globalization has affected the style of marriage in studied village. Now days marriages in village has been seen many changed and modification due to modernization and effect of modern musical instruments. As it has been find the earlier they instruments are not modern and technological sound good. But he coming of electronic loud speaker has change the pattern of these performance in recent time has some modification and losing their social significance, how far they change and what the new style now practicing in marriages.
The main focus of the study will onongoing social changes & people responses about these issues in general. These song predict the story of from the very beginning of first ritual of marriage called selecting the partner followed by match making, Pili Patri(Invitation and confirmation of marriage from both side), Ganesh Pooja, (worshipof LoadGanesha) procession of Baraat (The Groom's Procession), how the Fahre(Circling the Sacred Fire) takes place to Bidai (farewell) of bride which are most noteworthy occasion in marriage. On these above occasions all the songs sung by mainly women. There is social change also taking places in marriages pattern. Now the patterns of singing and performing these songshas changed. By studying these effects I will also figure out the difference between old and new songs among marriage in that village.The meaning of these songs however can be understand it the term of suppress desired in women. On these occasional they come out in the form of songs and dances. The responses about these changes according to same community people has different opinion. These opinion also guided by economic factors. The recent changes in traditional pattern of marriage also lead some social problem in village like money wasting on DJs, loud speaker. Because during marriage they hire these instruments.
In recent timethe modern music has many effects on these ritual and practices in rural area for example theme of songs has included form the popular music and Bollywood. Sometime these traditional song also included in films and popular music industry. Some people from the rural areas are producing these songs in the form of audio and visual format like CDs and DVDs. The effect of education and modernization among rural areas has led to change some social practices. Many rural people are working in government offices in metros. They are adopting urban practices by modifying them according to match their social values.
Review of Literature
Gloria Goodwin Raheja in his essay "Crying when she's born, and crying when goes away":marriage and the idiom of the gift in Pahansu song performance" talked about the transformation of women identity as wife and daughter-in-laws and move from her native home to conjugal place. He mentioned Bhat rituals which is gift giving to a sister by her brother in the marriage of her children at that time traditional songs sung by women are talked about gift giving by brother. He also talks about dowry system in marriage in Pahansu community in south India. However he studies the social issues involve in marriage but could identify the reason for them. He mentioned songs but could not give any idea about how they sing and what are the instruments are being used while singing and how these songs modified when some new changes occurring in recent time and what is the role of technological instrument in this context.
Peter Manual emphasizes on the effect of cassette culture in north India popular music industry. To support his view he gave example of technology that how technology play a critical role to effect the mass. His main focus on the technological development in music industry from First world to third countries. The popular music effect the traditional music because hegemony and nature of media control. In the support to his argument give reference of Walter Benjamin work which is talked about how media dissemination serves to divorce art from its traditional, explicitly ritualistic performance. Further he said that in the case of music, the decline of community values is reflected not only in consumption pattern but in the nature of the music itself. In India, this process has been particularly apparent, as folk songs sung in local dialect and style, referred to regional lore and events, are replace by film song using a lingua franca and these changes occurred by cassette technology. Peter Manual did his study on basis of Cultural Materialism but he neglect the fact that there many factor which effect folk music or song in rural areas. He could not examine the socio-cultural development in this context. He left the effect of education on masses.
Helen Myers (1998) in her work 'Music of Hindu Trinidad: Songs from the India Diaspora’ also describes how the music of villages have been influenced by the advent of film music records from India. However her study done in Trinidad Island on Indian Diaspora but her work talk about the effect of film music on wedding songs.
William G. Archer wrote a book Songs for the Bride: Wedding Rites of Rural India (1985) which a book about Hindi Kayasth marriages in northern Bihar. It contains all marriages songs which the full ritual context of the marriage. His description of the Kayasth marriage emphasizes the role that women plat in life-cycle rituals which contrast to the dominant of ritual by male priest. In these ritual ceremonies their participants and meaning of genre of songs sung by them is important concerns.
Statement of problem
The purpose of this study is to analyse how traditional marriage music serves certain social functions for the community. I intend to explore the relationship between traditional marriagesmusic and modern music. An understanding of the framing processes used in traditional music has important implications for understanding the effectiveness of music stimulating social consciousness and mobilizing the listeners. There have been significance research done on Hindu marriage pattern and songs associate with marriage. However these studies only show the patterns and occasions when these songs are sung but the main problem of these studies is that they could not figure out the changes taking places in the way to performing and how these changes adopting by the singers of these songs and what is the background of this singer and social status of theme. Andy Bennett notes that popular music has been linked with political issues and social change in Cultures of Popular Music (2001). Music is more than an expression: it is “a determinant of diverse communities and can serve as a bridge between different people and communities by offering an accessible form of communication across cultural boundaries” (Mattern, p. 7). The documentation of these traditional marriage song done by Atul Kumar Agrawal(Marriage songs in Harauti1982) and Sahkuntla Devi Joshi (MahilaMangal Geet-1995). Peter Manuel talks in his book 'Cassette culture and technology in north India’ that popular music industry impact increased due to new technology.
My study is focused on new social changes and people responses about traditional marriage songs and modern music effect on practices.
Objective
To evaluate role of traditional folk marriage songs in rural areas.
To examine to tradition marriage songs pattern among village in present time.
To elaborate the significance of way of singing in village during marriage.
To evaluate the traditional way of enjoying the marriage practice among village.
To elaborate recent changes of cultural and social aspect of these songs through popular music industry.
To examine effect ofBollywood music on these song and Bollywood inspired by these songs.
To evaluate use and significance role to manipulate marriage songs by modern instruments.
To examine the ongoing transformation and adoption process between both.
To elaborate marriage economic changes due to modern music practices.
To examine the role of modern musical instruments played during marriage in social and economic life of villagers.
Hypothesis
The new social changes are having an advert impact on traditionalmarriage practices and value system. Adoption of modern music in rural areas has changed the traditional marriage pattern in rural areas.
Research questions
What is the importance of traditional marriage songs in villages?
How people think about traditional marriage songs?
What are the traditional patterns of singing these song in village?
How is value of these song signifying in their daily life?
What are main changes occurring in these songs?
What is recurrent theme of contemporary traditional marriage songs?
How the changes are taking place in recent years among traditional songs among villages?
How they are losing significance in the villages and what kind of songs are replacing traditional song?
Can music help lead to social change?
Methodology
I will collect data through participant observation and in depth interview .Where I will record the data throughtape recorder, to record the performance I will use video camera .The dependent variables are modern music, local culture and marriage & Independent variables are region, religion, age, sex, social background of participants.
I selected sample of participant for my study from two different age group from both sex.One group is 25 to 35 years and second group is 35 to above ages. I have selected both literate and non-literate persons.
This study is guided by Cumulative Effects Theory. Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann says that the media do not have powerful and immediate effect but it takes time to effect slowly on mass. She says that we cannot escape from media or the media's messages.
I have chosen a village in Rajasthan in the district of SawaiMadhopur. Where I choose a village named Ajnoti. In this village Meenacasteis in majority. Their traditional practices and ritual are culturally rich because this is village where the Meena community Panchayat held whenever needed.The traditional practices of marriage has seen up and down. In 1990s the community stoppedBand Baaja in marriages due to wastageof money and social issueslike vulgarity. But with the coming of loud speaker it started in new form. Recently the DJs culture emerges in this villages’ marriage practice.
Relevance of the study
This study is important for social scientists to understand the problem and ongoing social changes in a particular community. It can also help in the academic purpose for future research. It will also give some reference to examine how traditional values of rural areas has some roles in society. It also examines value of these songs and their value attached to society and also understandingof the technological changes in performing and modification in themes.
Songs of Traditional Wedding Ceremonies in North India
Bonnie C. Wade
Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council
Vol. 4, 25th Anniversary Issue (1972), pp. 57-65
Lewis, Oscar. "Village life in north India."Urbana: University of Illinois Press(1958).
Edward O. HenryNORTH INDIAN WEDDING SONGSJournal of South Asian LiteratureVol. 11, No. 1/2, FOLK LITERATURE OF SOUTH ASIA (Fall and Winter 1975), pp. 61-93
William L. Rowe ,The Marriage Network and Structural Change in a North Indian Community, Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Autumn, 1960), pp. 299-311
Booth, Gregory D. "Brass bands: Tradition, change, and the mass media in Indian wedding music."Ethnomusicology(1990): 245-262.
Chapter scheme of the study
Chapter -1
Introduction to topic
Patternsof marriage in rural area
Ritual and occasion associated with marriages
Socio-cultural significance of these songs
Chapter -2
Type of traditional marriage songs
Performing pattern of traditional marriage songs
Chapter-3
Traditional marriage songs versus modern music
Effect of modern music
Research findings
Proofing hypothesis
Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography