The Muslims of Kerala have traditions of cultural and artistic performances and they have been preserved and performed and are broadly placed under the rubric of Mappila culture or Mappila artistic forms. The Sweeping rush of different media has helped these art forms to shrug off religious connotations and come out with zeal to merge with other mainstream cultural forms. Though these art forms are widely performed and popularized more than ever before due to multiple developments in terms of viewership and technology it is heartening to see the public opinion often declining to perceive that as a mainstream Kerala art form. My contention is that the tagging of “Mappila” always makes these art forms to be relegated from other forms of mainstream …show more content…
The culture was founded on a continuous and concrete set of beliefs and ideals. It arose as an Islamized form of the local traditions of peasants and was practiced with vibrant zeal by the converted people. The peasant uprisings in Malabar also followed a set of informal rules. The Mappila, who hitherto followed a peaceful and adaptive culture, donned a militaristic robe when colonial powers began to interfere with their freedom and culture. At a time when other peasant communities in the region followed a submissive attitude towards the colonial invaders, the Mappila peasants headed by their spiritual leaders took up arms against their oppressors. The zeal to join the struggles prompted the non-Mappila peasants to convert en masse into the fold of Islam and this accelerated the cultural synthesis of the Mappila tradition in Malabar. The local cultural elements found a firm root in the Islamic resurgence of the …show more content…
The “fanatic” was administered as a construct deployed by the colonial administrator for the political control of Mappila Muslims (Ansari: 41). Apart from the colonizers, nationalist leaders, including Gandhi and other prominent voices in Kerala, reaffirmed colonial notions about Muslims through their speeches and activities. The celebrated nationalist poet in Kerala, Kumaran Asan (2004 [1923]:32) in his poem “Durvastha” refers to Kerala being reddened with Hindu blood “shed by the cruel
In conclusion the Kwakiutl tribe is steadfast in tradition and culture. The works of the Kwakiutl artists and the leaders of the religious ceremonies are most certainly working hand in hand carrying on traditions past on from earlier generations. The Kwakiutl artisans have mastered the art of making ceremonial masks and these masks will continue to play an intricate role in the lives and living of the villagers for years to come.
...o de-essentialize and de-Orientalize religious system of Islam, and instead locate it as part of a historical discursive tradition where practices were contested and in flux. This challenges notions of what authentic religious practices are in Theravada Buddhism, and in doing so expands an understanding of what forms can take. For this reason, the work is useful, and highly recommended for an aspiring religious or anthropological scholar.
The Islam of Babur is also molded by his use of it as goad and inspira-tion for his soldiers. Babur never fails to remind his troops that God is on their side and that they should be fearless even in this strange country. (38) Babur’s army is not another invading army, similar to the Uzbekis who drove Babur from Samarkand, and his enemies are not honorable defenders of their homeland. Instead, according to Babur, the soldiers are an "Army of Islam" and the natives are labeled as "the unbelievers, the wicked", with epithets like accursed and hapless tossed in for good measure.(85) Babur conquers not for India’s riches, but "For the sake of Islam"(87) Babur’s experience of Islam is one of a master ruler manipulating a religion to provide political justifica-tion for his ruler and moral ammunition for the soldiers and for war.
Perterson, L.K., & Cullen, Cheryl. 2000. “Hindu symbolism and colour meanings dominate Indian culture and society,” in Global Graphics: Gloucester, Massachusetts:Rockpoint Publishers, pp.175-176.
India’s culture is very diverse. One may call it strange, weird, or even bizarre. The culture of India includes: different types of rituals, dances, jewelry, languages, people, and different customs. India’s culture is very beautiful and distinguishable. From rituals to languages the culture of India is amazing and full of life.
Bollywood film has opened the gates to Bollywood dance, creating a popular style that spread throughout the world. This style would not have been able to spread so quickly if it not had been for the familiar themes and culture found in the genre. Because of this diverse make-up, Bollywood dance is being questioned, for it cannot be seen as traditional Indian dance if it is made up of so many different cultures and styles. Due to the creation from a wide assortment of cultures and practices, Bollywood dance has been the subject of a controversy focusing on its authenticity. Although it is not pure Indian movements, it has become the face of Indian dance due to accessibility and familiarity.
As we studied in lecture, the culture of a particular community is meaningful only when we study them in their context. If we study them outside of the context, they do not have any cultural value or meaning. The culture of Srilankan Tamils contains many traditions and customs. Customs and rituals have been part of the society from generation to generation and some are relatively new. Most of these customs are connected with everyday life for most people in the social and religious circle and they are considered desirable and constructive. I would like to discuss some of the course readings such as Adam Ashforth’s Madumo: A man Bewitched, Durham Deborah’s Soliciting Gifts and Negotiating Agency, Evan Pritchard’s The notion of witchcraft explains unfortunate events, Rosaldo Renato’s Grief and a headhunter’s rage and Geertz Clifford’s Deep play.
Flood, Finbarr B. "Between Cult and Culture: Bamiyan, Islamic Iconoclasm, and the Museum." The Art Bulletin (2002):
Pandey, T. N., 2014. Lecture 1/9/14: Culture of India: Aryan and Indigenous Population. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
Sri Nandanandana, “Preaching in India’s Northeast For Cultural Preservation” VaiShnava News February 21, 2003; Retrieved information Dec. 9,2003 http://www.vnn.org/world/WD0302/WD21-7837.html
In the book Train to Pakistan, author Khushwant Singh recalls the brutal and unfortunate times when Muslims were being forced out of Mano Majra. They, along with the Hindu and Sikh population, were living in relative peace. But when there had to be change, chaos ensued. There were several key individuals that shared the total responsibility of the expulsion of Muslims from Mano Majra; Even though some had purer motives than others, they all took stock in the unfortunate process.
Mujtaba, Syed Ali. "Nationalism In An Age Of Globalization – An Indian Experience." 21 January 2008. Indian Muslims. 12 November 2011 .
The concept of orientalism refers to the western perceptions of the eastern cultures and social practices. It is a specific expose of the eurocentric universalism which takes for granted both, the superiority of what is European or western and the inferiority of what is not. Salman Rushdie's Booker of the Bookers prize winning novel Midnights Children is full of remarks and incidents that show the orientalist perception of India and its people. It is Rushdie's interpretation of a period of about 70 years in India's modern history dealing with the events leading to the partition and beyond. Rushdie is a fantasist and a creator of alternate realities, the poet and prophet of a generation born at the degree zero of national history. The present paper is an attempt to study how Salman Rushdie, being himself a writer of diasporic consciousness, sometimes perceives India and its people as orientalist stereotypes and presents them in a derogatory manner.
Another example equally as potent and yet sadly overlooked by many particularly those outside India is that of Kathak. A classical Indian dance, today held in great esteem among the 6 great classical dances of India, 21st century Kathak combines incredibly complex technique and elegant, slow abhinaya (or story telling) and owes almost the entirety of its current day form to the Mughals. The transformation that Kathak underwent from its original form to how we see it today that occurred during Mughal Era is perhaps the most underestimated and truest remaining symbol of the vibrant Indo-Islamic cultural melding that occurred under the patronage of the Mughals, and to...
Riot (2001), Shashi Tharoor’s third novel is set in the context of a fictitious riot that has resemblance to the riot that rocked Uttar Pradesh in 1989 as an aftermath of the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi controversy. Tharoor unravels the history of communal India from the fictional context of the investigation of the death of a twenty-four year old idealistic American girl, Priscilla Hart, who was slain in India in the riot. From its premises, Tharoor also communicates his ideas “about ownership of history, cultural collision, religious fanaticism and the impossibility of knowing the truth” (