Keywords
Social Protest
Contestation
Caste
Hegemony
How to Cite
Abstract
Folklore, as generally understood, is related to common people and is construed in relation to higher/literate culture. This relation with popular culture gives a dimension of resistance and critique to the folk culture where stories, proverbs, sayings, etc, apart from being condensed wisdom also become an expression of resistance and protests against the dominant/hegemonic culture. Folklore records the real life of the common people with uncomfortable fidelity which also reflects their protest against authority or existing social structures sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. This paper, through a critical and careful analysis of a folktale titled ‘Bavan Gagna’ will try to identify central themes on the subject of caste and gender and correlate them with similar ideas and concepts found in religious/philosophical movements, especially with the Bhakti Movement in north India.
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