‘Rapid spread of consumerism swallowing folklore culture’

Participants at a seminar organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) at Vadakara in Kozhikode on Sunday (November 16) expressed their concerns over the rapid spread of consumerism swallowing folklore culture around the world.

They, however, also said that the age-old customs were being slowly altered too in tune with the times, ensuring that folklore was not just about the past, but one with a capacity for constant updates.

Folklorist Purushottam Bilimale, who inaugurated the event, cautioned against neo-fascist forces that were trying to wipe out subaltern voices, which traditionally enriched folklore. “Of late, there have been authoritarian moves to ensure a monolithic culture that mutes a whole range of approaches and aesthetics which existed traditionally,” he said.

The inaugural ceremony was followed by six sessions and a ‘Chavittu Nadakam’ performance. The event, under the KBF’s ‘Art…Time…Conflict’ series, was a run-up to the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) starting on December 12. The outreach programme, curated by researcher Keli Ramachandran, had KMB president Bose Krishnamachari as the chief guest.

Mr. Krishnamachari noted that politics cannot be divorced from art. “Right from the world’s first biennale at Venice in 1895, the exhibits at all such new-art festivals have borne a link with regional or local politics,” he added. The inaugural ceremony was chaired by poet Veerankutty, president of the Sahithyavedi, a literary forum which co-hosted the seminar. Kalaripayattu exponent and Padma Shri award winner Meenakshi Amma was honoured at the event.

The closing session was addressed by literary critic P. Pavithran, while seminar coordinator K.M. Bharathan presided over it. The 75-minute ‘Chavittu Nadakam’, titled ‘Karalman Charitham’, was staged by Kurumbathuruth Yuva Kerala Chavittunataka Vedi of Ernakulam.