Bhog-Moksha Sambhava

Forests, a precious renewable resource, are habitats of many aborigines and treasure houses of a large number of flora and fauna. Any distortion to them imbalances the life of their inhabitants. Man and Forest series highlights the relevance of indigenous knowledge systems of various South Asian tribal communities in the sustainable management of local resources/forests. Here comes the importance of making a scientific enquiry into the application of indigenous tribal knowledge in rediscovering their methods of production, consumption and conservation, against the all-pervading impact of modernity and the ever-increasing demand for an unbridled use of natural resources.
This monograph — The Hill Bhuinya of Kendujhar — is the eighth in the Man and Forest series and fourth in the Forest Tribes of Orissa: Lifestyle and Social Conditions of Selected Orissan Tribes. It helps in understanding how the Bhuinya perceive their ecosystem; how their sociocultural life is interwoven with the forests and other elements of their ecosystem; their management systems for upkeeping it; and the role their indigenous knowledge plays in their production, consumption and conservation practices, against the backdrop of a considerable depletion of biodiversity during the latter part of the twentieth century.
This book is the result of a detailed study on the forest/hill-dwelling tribe of the Bhuinya of Bhuinyapirh in Banspal Block, Kendujhar District, Odisha since 1996 by a team of anthropologists, ethnosociologists, botanists and ethnobotanists. It was critically revised and analysed, using authentic methods due to changes in the state and central government policies, recently.

Every region/community of the world has its sahre of oral creativity, in varying measures though. And, accordingly, has its own legacy of ‘chanted narratives’: epical, hostorical, mythical, romantic, or even ritualistic. Which have long survived in the collective memory of its people, having been handed down from generation to generation. Confronted, however, by the ‘cornucopian techno-centrism’ of today’s life, these oral narratives are on their way out everywhere — like many other vibrant cultural phenomena. Highlighting why we need to preserve this intangible heritage of mankind, the volume offers a fascinating study of ‘chanted narratives’ from different regions of India and parts of Southeast Asia. Essentially a multi-author work, it explores the nature of orality and its various attendent aspects, like composition, performance, transmission modes, socio-economic context, and the relationship that exists between its performer and the audience. Also addressing methodological issues concerning the existing definitions and terminologies, the authors argue for a paradigm shift in the academic discourse on orality and oral cultures. Carrying twenty four contributors of leading scholars from France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Nepal, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and UK, the book not only provides theoretical insights into the complex nature of orality, but sets out a rich repertoire of chanted narratives as well. Folklorists, anthropologists, historians and scholars of Indian cultures will find it a useful acquisition.