Traditional media means the mediums through which the cultural traits passed from generation to generation. In every society there are various forms of communication among the rural people. Some channels of communication are deeply rooted in the culture and preserved traditionally from generation to generation. Traditional Folk Media is a term used to denote “People’s Performances” and describes folk dance, rural drama and musical variety of the village people. This term speaks of those performing arts which are cultural symbols of people. Traditional media have innumerable influences on all sections of people. It has a remarkable impact on the rural society because of their acceptable idioms, functional significance and entertainment component.

1. Presented By
Bidyut Pritom Gogoi
M.Sc.(Ag.) 3rd Semester
Reg.No- M/EE/174/2019-20
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar
SEMINAR IN CHARGE
Dr. S.P. Lal
Assistant Professor
Credit Seminar
On
Role of Traditional Folk Media in Rural
Development
Department Of Extension Education

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3.  Introduction
 Objectives
 Traditional Folk Media, Forms, Types, Examples
 Characteristics, Advantages
 Importance of folk Media in Development
 Research reviews, Case studies, Experiments
 Role and usage of Folk media in modern themes
 Strategies and Approaches to use folk media
 Conclusion
 References
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4. Objectives
O To highlight the concept of Traditional Folk Media.
O To emphasize the importance of Folk Media.
O To describe the role of Folk media in development.
O To suggest Strategies for Agricultural Extension Work.
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5. 
Traditional Folk Media
 Traditional Folk Media is a term
used to denote “People’s
Performances”
 Performing arts which are
cultural symbols of people.
 Folk dance, rural drama and
musical variety of the village
people.
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6.  Folk media, as traditional forms
of communication, have
evolved as grassroots
expressions of the values and
lifestyle of the people.
 It embodies the traditions,
cultures and customs of
traditional people which is
transmitted from one generation
to other within the community
by words or visually or from
memory to memory. (Das 2013)
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9. Examples of Traditional Folk Media in India
• Traditional Folk Theatre/Rural Drama
• Jatra (Bengal)
• Burra Katha (Andhra Pradesh)
• Ram Leela (U.P)
• Bidesiya (Bihar)
• Bhaona (Assam)
• Puppetry
• Sutradharika (string puppet)
• Putalnautch (Rod puppet)
• Chhaya Putil (Shadow puppets)
• Glove Puppets
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12. Why folk Media ?
• Almost 70 % of people resides in villages.
• Most of them are illiterate.
(15 years and older male – 35.6, female 64.4 %)
UNESCO- 2018
• For them the mass media is
too glamorous, impersonal and unreliable.
(Pandey,1999)
• No access to mass media
lack of electricity,
high cost,
for being highly technical,
improper transport, etc.
http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/in?theme=education-and-literacy
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13. Characteristics of Folk Media
FOLK MEDIA
Easy to
comprehend
Local language, local
talent
Accepted by society
Immediate rapport
Personal
Prompt feedback
Entertainment
element
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14. Advantages of Folk Media
• Intimacy with the masses.
• It is physically very close to the people.
• Scope for repeat performances.
• Regional / local level variations are
important.
• Scope for non-verbal communication.
• Use of local language, costumes.
• Low cost.
• Audience participation.
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16. Development Communication:
 strategic communication
 information dissemination
 produce positive social change
• Development through communication media is happening all over the
developing world.
• Development communication aims at educating people through
participatory approach.
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION AND TRADITIONAL
MEDIA
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17.  Folk media are personal forms of entertainment and communication. They
provide acceptable means of bringing development issues into the community
in its own terms.(UNESCO,1972)
 Parmar(1973), Zaidi(1975), Sanzgri(1977), stated that traditional art forms
like drama, puppetry, folk songs etc. can be effectively utilized to pass on
messages of national development to Indian rural masses.
 Van der Ban and Hawkins (1996) have reported that in Java, shadow puppets
were utilized to promote agricultural innovations. In Nigeria, the use of
fertilizer and tractor was promoted through traditional folk songs.
Research Reviews
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18.  Folk media is a Important tool in the process of motivating rural masses
towards accepting social changes that are being introduced through various
development agencies. (Chapke and Bhagat,2006)
 Gupta, (2015) reveals that Folk media can play a vital role in communicating to
and with the people, particularly, in rural areas, including the modern messages.
They can be effective as rural people do not understand the language of modern
communication.
 Padmanabha, K.V. and Kumar, S. (2020) stated that Yakshagana is being
used for disseminating different development messages for the past many years.
They have also examined the changing role of Yakshagana in looking at the
changing approaches to agriculture and has found that the folk media play a
significant role in agricultural communication, especially in extension activities
in developing countries like India.
Cont.
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19. Usage of TFM in Agricultural Extension
Services
Use of Theatre in Development Message
 Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, Department of Rural Sociology
 Target Audience: Farmers
 Venue: In fields, under mango trees/ gathering places of farmers
 Themes: Corruption of govt. officials
Fertilizer Swindling by Tradesman
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20. Steps in Message Design and Act:
 Interview with farmers to identify problem
 Involve villagers in understanding the problem
 Involve them in drama creation
 Let the villagers perform
 Reflection over drama
 Planning of Action for community
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21. Extension Service through Yakshagana
• Yakshagana and Krishi Vijaya (2011)
• M. T. Shanthimoole, Sullia taluk, Karnataka.
• Theme: Organic Farming
• It depicted a story of a depressed farmer who has lost interest in farming because
of the various losses he faced.
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22. Rural Development through puppetry- A Case Study
 Shanker Singh, a community worker in Social Work Research Centre,
Tilonia, Rajasthan (A reputed voluntary organization) used puppets to
create awareness and mobilize people for development.
 He innovated a character. ‘Jokhim Chacha’, supposedly a 300 year old
man who would call anyone a child and chide even elders and
authorities.
 Thus, even sensitive topics were handled amicably without hurting
anyone. After all Jokhim Chacha was such elderly.
 Shanker Singh was very much in demand in villages etc. pull crowds
and appeal for donations or good road or solve such other problems. 22

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24.  “Alha”, the popular ballad of Uttar Pradesh, “Laavani” of
Maharashtra, “Gee-gee” of Karnataka, ‘Ojapali’ of Assam were
effective in arousing the conscience of the people against the colonial
rule of the British.
 Eminent Tamil poet Subramanya Bharti used folk music to invoke
patriotism in the people.
 Folk tunes succeeded in popularizing songs glorifying the charkha or
spinning wheel and boycott British made goods.
Role During Freedom Struggle
Role During Freedom Struggle
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25.  In the 1940’s,
 Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA), used forms like “Jatra” of
Bengal, “Bhavai” of Gujrat, “Tamasha” of Maharashtra and “Burrakatha” of
Andhra Pradesh to increase social awareness and political education.
 The significance of folk arts in social and political communication was felt
and recognized by Jawaharlal Nehru who once said,
 I am greatly interested in the development of a people’s theatre in India. I
think there is a great room for it, provided it is based on the people and their
traditions.
 Otherwise it is likely to function in the air. It is a people’s approach.
Nevertheless, I think an effort should be made in the direction. (IPTA Bulletin,
1943)
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26.  National Government started a full-fledged Song and Drama Division
in 1954.
 A decade later, the Amarnath Vidyalankar Committee,(1960)
recorded that :
 "From the point of view of its great appeal to the masses and its quality
of touching the deepest emotions of the illiterate millions, the medium
of song and drama is matchless".(origin and development of Mass
media in India,IGNOU,2001)
Used during Community Development
Programme
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27. Cont.
 The National Programme of Drama started in 1956 by Akashvani
aimed at acquainting people in different parts of the country with the
dramatic literature of regional languages and emphasized folk musical
plays.
 Television, also contributed to popularization and archival of different
folk forms of India.
 For e.g. Krishi Darshan, (1967) a programme for farmers aired on
Doordarshan, frequently broadcasts performances by folk singers.
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28. UNESCO and MacBride
Commission
 The International Planned Parenthood Federation and UNESCO organized
a series of meetings on the integrated use of the folk and the mass media in
family planning communication programmers seminar in London 1972
follow-up workshop in Delhi in 1974.
 The London Seminar declared that
"themes like family planning programme are intensely personal and
have to fall back on motivational methods which touch traditional beliefs,
customs and social structures ...’’
 When they were integrated with mass media, the result was even more
rewarding.
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29. 
 Even when modern media have penetrated to isolated areas, the older forms
maintain their validity, particularly when used to influence attitudes, instigate
action and promote change. (The MacBride Commission 1977)
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30.  Workshop in Delhi (1974) declared that "no communication
strategy would be complete unless it included people's traditional
media".
 The' Delhi Declaration confirmed the positive qualities of folk
media and declared that they were indeed the most viable tools of
communication in rural countries.
Efficacy for Development Communication
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31. Traditional folk media is being used in:
family planning campaigns,
in health care programs
in environmental protection projects
in adult literacy programs
in child protection
women empowerment
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32. CASES OF COMMUNICATING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
TRADITIONAL MEDIA
• In 1970s:
A voluntary Non-Governmental Organization in Kerala called Kerala Sastra
Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) organized Science Jatha.
• In 1980s:
 Ravi Varma of Vikas Lok Manch, Hame Jawab Chahiya (1985) on the Bhopal
gas tragedy.
During the Chipko and Apiko movements,
Environmentalists used folk arts in South India in the ‘Save the Western Ghats’
campaign of 1985 which was headed by Seva Sangh.
Rajasthan Adult Education Association (RAEA)
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33. Cont.
• Puppetry in District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) in 1994.
• Puppets are also being increasingly used for addressing issues such as child
education, modern methods of farming, construction of toilets etc.
• Street theatre, puppet shows and other folk mediums in Total Sanitation
Campaign (TSC) (1999).
• TSC campaign has yielded success in Assam by converting kutchha toilets to
sanitary latrines and ensuring total environmental sanitation in rural areas.
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34.  Approaches to use TFM
 Theme:
 Folk wisdom and Technological information on climate change
and agriculture
 Target Audience :
 Venue:
 Message design:
 Format: Puppet show, story telling, local folk songs
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35.  The folk media are very sensitive.
 They need to be handled with care
and consideration in the entire
process of integration.
 Care must be taken to chose the
right form to disseminate the
relevant messages in tune with the
needs of the society.
BLENDING TFM WITH MASS MEDIA
A WORD OF WARNING
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36. Conclusion
• Traditional media uses a subtle form of
persuasion.
• This cannot be equaled by any other
means of communication.
• To communicate message of development
folk media should be use planned manner.
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37. References:
• http://egyankosh.ac.in/handle/123456789/7263
• http://www.kkhsou.in/main/masscom/traditional_folkmedia.html
• http://kkhsou.in/eslm//SLM%203rd%20Sem/Bachelor%20Degree/Journalism/G
JMC%20S3%2002%20(Block%201)%20Eng.pdf
• Das, P. K. (2013) Legal Protection of Traditional Cultural Expression or
Folklore in India: An Appraisal. Shodh Prarek. Vol. III. (Issue-3). 8-13.
Lucknow: Veer Bahadur Seva Sanstha.)
• Gupta, Vandana; Folk Media in Development Communication; International
Journal of Research, 2015, p-1-4
• Padmanabha, K.V. and Kumar, S. (2020) Folk Media for Agricultural
Extension: A Study of Yakshagana–A South Indian Folk Theatre. IJASSH. June
20, ISSN: 2347-7474, p 1-8
• Van der Ban AW, Hawkins HS (1996) Agricultural extension. Hoboken: Wiley.
• Chapke, R. and Bhagat, R. Traditional Folk Media: A Potential Effective
Communication Tool in Rural Area, AIAEE, 22nd Annual Conference
Proceedings, Clearwater Beach, Florida, May 14-19,2006: pp: 123-133. 37

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