The Saangs as Cultural Heritage of Haryana

Shalini Attri

Shalini Attri Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidhyalaya

Keywords: Saang, Ethics, Folk Theater, Identity

Abstract

Theater, a medium of representation is a phenomenon interconnected with the production and formulation of meaning using the spatial arts. Folk narratives defined as people’s perception of their group identity, models of conduct and human endeavor, symbolic structures of history and mythology exist as ‘memory text’ in the minds of performers who consciously/unconsciously resonate ethics, values, identity, and culture of the region. The accounts on ethics, dharma, Karma are grounded in “folk-knowledge” and are transferred through folk performers establishing theatrical space as knowledge systems. In Indian context, many folk performances map the dominant belief of Dharma (righteousness) and Karma (action). Dharma is a signpost and Karma is our actions. Haryanvi folk theater exhibits the interplay of ‘little traditions’ through saang- a form of folk theater. Saang is the identity marker of Haryana having its locus in the ethical codes centering around Indian philosophical discourse. The paper will focus on saang as repository of culture and identity. The transmission of the cultural narratives through retellings and folk performances is an identity construct. The research will discuss saang as cultural heritage with a special reference to Lakhmichand’s saang of Raja Harishchander and would elaborate on Haryanvi folk theater as promoter of the ethics and values.

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Author Biography

Shalini Attri, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidhyalaya

Dr. Shalini Attri is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidhyalaya, Sonipat, Haryana, India. She has been teaching for last 19 years. Her doctorate is from Punjab University Chandigarh on "Politics of Representation: A Feminist Study of Vijay Tendulkar's Selected Plays". Her area of research includes Indian English Literature and Classics, Diasporic and Migration Studies, Women Studies, Theatre Studies, Folk literature.

She has co-authored and edited 4 books and has presented research papers in international conferences at Montreal, Uppsala, Moscow, USA, Estonia, Germany, London, India etc. She is currently member Academic Council, DRC, PGBOS and has been member Faculty arts and Languages at BPSMV. She holds the position of Associate director IQAC at BPSMV.

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