The Historicity and Role of Bhojpuri Language in Indian Freedom Struggle with special reference to Bhojpuri Lok Geets of Bihar: A Thematic Analysis

Authors

Dr. Rohit Kumar, Shubhendu

Abstract

The subject of this article is inspired by the combination of oral and cultural history with an emphasis on Bhojpuri Lok geets of Bihar. These Lok geets can be proved as one of the best ways to research the pre-existing thoughts of a region regarding numerous aspects of the society as these are part of oral traditions, which refers to a variety of facts and information that are passed down orally from person to person or from generation to generation rather than through written documents or manuscripts. In Bihar, Bhojpuri speaking regions, there are numerous lok geets, some of which are named Sohar, Faag, Barahmasa, Chaturmasa, Poorvi, Batohiya, Firangiaa, Ropni, Birha, Chaitaar, Saanjh, Chhathihar, and many others. All these types are classified naturally in different kinds representing the life- cycle events, the annual calendar of events, seasonal songs, wisdom songs, devotional songs, songs of love and beauty, songs of glory and regarding Indian freedom struggles. But, in this article the significance of Bhojpuri lok geets in the Indian liberation movements will be highlighted specifically, along with how they were employed at the time to disseminate revolutionary ideas and communicate with large numbers of people. Rather, each and every freedom struggle—whether it was the 1857 uprising, the indigo revolt, the agitation against the teen kathiya system, the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, or the Quit India Movement—has its own narrative in Bhojpuri lok geets and a proper place in many of the lok poets' compositions. Various Bhojpuri lok poets are known but only mainstream poets are discussed and their geets are cited in this article so that the readers can relate how much these geets had promoted the sense of patriotism which gradually became a serious concern at that time for British authorities.

Keywords

Bhojpuri, Lok Geet, Lok Poets, Bihar folks, Cultural History, Oral Tradition, Indian Freedom Struggle, Indian National Movement

The Historicity and Role of Bhojpuri Language in Indian Freedom Struggle with special reference to Bhojpuri Lok Geets of Bihar: A Thematic Analysis. Dr. Rohit Kumar, Shubhendu. 2024. IJIRCT, Volume 10, Issue 4. Pages 1-11. https://www.ijirct.org/viewPaper.php?paperId=2407070