Page 240 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation

Grindmill Songs 215

the time of the Enlightenment. A dichotomy is emphasized between
tradition and modernity. On the other hand, the glorious past of twenty
centuries and its superiority is being unilaterally proclaimed. Official
discourses are filled with praises for the dominant culture, while from
other quarters common people are branded as backward and called to
get rid of the shackles of the past. Students naturally get entangled in
such complex ideological propaganda and have neither opportunity nor
means to critically analyse the situation. They are rarely taught to assess
so-called superstitious practices with any anthropological insight.
Male social animators of VCDA were of the opinion:

You talk about development. We can take an example. A first weapon
was created by the ancient human beings for protection against
wild animals. Slowly the weapons were used to establish power and
authority. Today people are producing very costly weapons which
will destroy the world. The nations who cannot afford it also want
to be in the race. Can we call this development?

But women animators continued questioning:

After all, who takes the decision and for whose interest? A handful
of people, and they talk for others. In our country, for example,
higher-caste people, and especially men among them, are glorifying
our ancient culture and tradition. The tradition which we want to
cherish and strengthen is the tradition coming from those sections
of society kept mute and denied expression. Such traditions show us
the way for changing the relation of the dominant and the subaltern
in the present society.

A Variety of Strategies

To conclude, let us just stress the relevance of a multiplicity of ap-
proaches and methods.

Dramatic Performances

The social animators of VCDA prepared a street play on the issue of
deserted women, integrating into it a few adequately selected grindmill
songs that they sing during the performance in order to better convey