Eminent folklorist Purushottam Bilimale on Sunday stressed the need for an audio-visual archives for preserving and promoting oral cultural tradition.
Dr. Bilimale, who heads the American Institute of Indian Studies, was speaking after releasing nine publications brought out by the Karnataka Janapada Vishwavidyalaya.
“Oral tradition has played a major role in shaping cultures and passing on wisdom from one generation to another. The government should not hesitate to spend money on preserving the spoken cultural history of society,” he said.
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Dr. Bilimale urged the folklore university to procure a few ‘kaifiats’ (descriptions) of Colonel Colin Mackenzie, a Scottish army officer, which were in possession of the British Library, London. Mackenzie, a collector of antiquities and an orientalist, had surveyed southern India and collected thousands of manuscripts and inscriptions.
He described Karnataka Samshodhana Janapada , written by A.V. Navada and released on Sunday, as a landmark contribution. The work meticulously records centuries-old folk traditions in 128 essays, Dr. Bilimale said.
Chairman of the Kannada Book Authority Banjagere Jayaprakash said the folklore university, which was the first of its kind in the country, was doing yeoman service for society at a time when globalised economy was promoting monoculture.
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“By publishing such works, the university is trying to rejuvenate native culture, wisdom and values hidden in oral traditions,” he said.
The former Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University M.V. Nadkarni spoke on Deshiya Krishi Hatoti Mattu Samrakshana Kramagalu , edited by Prakash Kammardi.