Q2 of 15 Page 173

Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four

‘Tribal arts are not specifically meant for sale.’ Does this help or hamper their growth and preservation?

Tribals arts, being non-commercial in purpose, helps in the growth and preservation of tribal arts. They are usually a unique mixture of the sacred and ordinary. They often carry a playful tone, although sacred to a certain extent. In fact, listening to tribal epics can be great fun as heroes are not spared of artist’s humor. The tribal artists do expect a certain amount of patronage from the community, like artists in any other context. But, since those performing rituals are very often artists themselves, there is no element of competition in the patron-artist relationship. The tribal arts are, therefore, relaxed, never tense.


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5

‘New literature’ is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian literary tradition. How does G.N. Devy explain this?

 1

Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four

‘It is time to realise that unless we modify the established notion of literature as something written, we will silently witness the decline of various Indian oral traditions.’

 3

Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four

Because India’s tribal communities are basically bilingual there is a danger of dismissing their languages as dialects of India’s major tongues.

 4

Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four

While tribal communities may not seem to possess the scientific temper, there are many ideas from tribal conventions that could enrich modern societies.