REBOOTING TRADITION: TAMIL FOLK ARTS FOR MODERN TIMES

Folklore and folk art forms have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. Symbolic representations are the integral part of the attitude and beliefs of the rural people as time cycles sweep around. Folk art forms showcase a way of life. Art forms, recreational sports and games as well as religious practices play a pivotal role in reinforcing integrity, crystallizing social solidarity, fortifying communal harmony, intensifying value systems and promoting elements of humanistic ethos among the members of a community. This book attempts an analysis of the effects of globalization and commercialization on folk art forms. Globalization has commoditized religiosity and spirituality supplementing economy on the one hand and deducting human values on the other. Modernization, commercialization and secularization have changed the aesthetic tastes of the people and folk art forms and artists are in a precarious situation.

Subitha Sudhakaran completed her M.A in English Language and Literature at St. Thomas College, Pala, affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. Her areas of interests include Tamil folk arts, ritualistic practices and dravidian aesthetics.