In the book Oral Epics of Kalahandi, author Mahendra Kumar Mishra documents the oral epics of the district of Kalahandi in the eastern state of Orissa in India. Throughout the book, Mishra voices his concern that the rich oral epics of Kalahandi are under threat of extinction due to modernization and the local Kalahandi people’s lack of interest in keeping these epics alive. The professional singers of these epics are now turning to agriculture to avoid starvation as their caste patrons are no longer funding their livelihood of singing. One of Mishra’s primary objectives behind writing this book is to record this rich culture and revive its cultural significance for the current generation of Kalahandi.
In the introduction of the book, Mishra points out that he has no formal training in folklore, but is familiar with performance theory and studies of the oral formula by Parry and Lord. In the book, Mishra examines the Kalahandi epics through the theoretical lens of these past studies. But the book itself is not theoretical. Mishra is most concerned with the content of the epics, rather than their structure. Most of these epics are transcribed as prose narratives. Mishra records the epic texts and analyzes their content by making available to readers with the historical and social contexts of their narration. A few epics are structurally analyzed through the oral-formulaic theory, but Mishra gives no reasons why he chooses to structurally analyze some epics and not the others.
Mishra’s analysis of these epics opens for readers a window into the worldview of the people of Kalahandi. Since the Kalahandi epics are also influenced by two of India’s most classical mythologies, Ramayan and Mahabharat, the analysis of these epics also provides readers with an understanding of the Indian worldview in general. Mishra points out that epic singers generously borrow scenes from Ramayan and Mahabharat in their narration of local Kalahandi stories. This influence of Indian mythologies on local folklore also offers insights into regional assimilation of Kalahandi into the dominant culture of India.
Mishra observes that there are many tribes that live in Kalahandi and each tribe has its own caste bard who sings epics of its tribe. These epics are designed to teach children the history of their tribe and to maintain their tribal identity. Sometimes these epics are also sung to claim one tribe’s superiority over another. The caste bard also sings some epics in a language that is understood only by the people of that tribe to maintain a tribe’s isolation from another tribe and keep a tribe’s knowledge of its genealogy safe from others.
According to Mishra, there are four types of Kalahandi epic: mythic/ritualistic, heroic, sacrificial, and social. Mythical epics are about gods and goddesses and are popularly sung during religious festivals; heroic epics are about cultural heroes who glorified the tribe through their heroic action; sacrificial epics are about women who sacrificed their lives to maintain their chastity; and social epics are about events that happened in the recent past that are vivid in the memory of the community. Since Kalahandi is a drought-prone region, many drought epics are sung to remember the difficult times suffered by the whole community. Two drought epics, of 1899 and 1966, are analyzed in detail by the author to enumerate the intensity of daily hardships of the Kalahandi people, especially in a time of crisis.
Mishra has carefully planned the layout of the book such that it is easy for an outsider to understand the local history and worldview of the Kalahandi people. In the first chapter, Mishra narrates the history of Kalahandi and provides the names of different kings who ruled Kalahandi at different periods of its history. He spends the next chapter discussing the difficulties of conducting ethnography in Kalahandi. Mishra points out that some caste bards refuse to sing without the permission of their patron, while others refuse to sing ritualistic epics out of season for fear of waking the sleeping gods. In the third chapter, Mishra provides information about caste bards of different tribes and their epic songs. He spends the next nine chapters discussing different tribes, their origin, relationships with other tribes, and their popular epics as reflections of their tribal history and identity. He spends the last two chapters interpreting common characteristics of Kalahandi epics and concluding his book by reminding the readers once again of the fading culture of epic singing in Kalahandi due to modernization and the current generation’s failure to recognize the epics’ significance to their culture.
This book is evidence of Mishra’s extensive research on oral epics in Kalahandi. Mishra painstakingly provides tables that make it easier for an outsider to remember the names of different epics and the tribes that they belong to. However, one of the book’s weaknesses is Mishra’s failure to explore the epics as performances. Although we do get glimpses of Mishra’s efforts to bring in the performer-audience element in different chapters throughout the book, his descriptions are weak and the relationship unexplored. Mishra’s use of performance theory is limited to the incorporation of context in understanding the epics as cultural texts. But he provides no detailed descriptions of an epic performed in front of an audience. Although he gives the names of caste bards from time to time, we rarely learn any information about any particular caste bard as representative of his profession and tribe. This lack of information leaves unexplored an important aspect of folklore scholarship and methodology.
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[Review length: 910 words • Review posted on February 2, 2009]