ABOUT US
Organisation
Registered as a Trust, Folklore foundation is maintained by a group of members as trustees. Sri Sukant Mishra as the President of the Trust Dr Mahendra K Mishra is the founder managing Trustee and Director. There are members and coordinators of Folklore Foundation in many parts of Odisha.
Aims and Objectives
Folklore Foundation as an agency of cultural studies in India aims the following
- Document the rich oral tradition, texts and performance from the singers, story tellers and community at large to enrich the rich experiential knowledge of the community with that of the written culture and bridge the gap of cultural inequity.
- Conduct research and study critically to examine the public relevance of folklore and understand the dynamics of its creation, structure and function in a given socio- cultural context
- Promote the singers , story tellers and performers of folklore by honouring them and connecting them with the regional , national and international agencies for their professional growth
- Connect community knowledge with the academic knowledge to promote cognitive aspect of the children, students and scholars in schools and institutions
- Publish journal and books related to multifaceted aspects of folklore of India
- Apply folklore as a means of communication and knowledge in the development of literacy like Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Multilingual Education Indigenous Education, Adult Continuing Education, Health Education, Environmental Education and Heritage Education.
- Convergence with National and international organizations/ institutions/ universities for promotion of folklore research through
- Set up of community digital archives in tribal areas to reduce the digital divide and promote education and cultural conservation through technological devices
Since last 12 years Folklore Foundation has convergence with INTACH, IGNCA and National Book Trust, India and Sahitya Academy. Besides, it is collaborated with many national and International societies of folklore. The Foundation has also the network of grass root folk and tribal organizations to guide and promote indigenous culture and knowledge through a cultural movement. The Directory of Folklorists and singers, story tellers and writers of tribal and folk culture has been prepared to safeguard the intangible heritage of the state.
What Do We Do?
At present out of 30, Folklore Foundation has taken 15 districts in Odisha and has created a pool of community resource persons and regional folklore scholars to volunteer their own communities / region and contribute to the cause of folklore scholarship.
The purpose of the FF is to connect the local with global and bring solidarity between multiversity with university. Our motto is “one step ahead” as said by Mahatma Gandhi. Now members of Folklore Foundation has documented the linguistic aspects of 37 scheduled tribes and have contributed the People’s Linguistic Survey of India.
Besides, a book has been published by Folklore Foundation entitled ‘Paschima Odishara Loka Geeta involving 30 eminent folklorists of Odisha. The next volume of the Foundation will be “Folklore across the Boundaries-One Voice- many Culture”( Edited) and Kamar Oral Tradition by Mahendra Mishra.
Who to Involve
Any interested person in folklore scholarship having solidarity in promoting community knowledge and promoting folklore scholarship breaking the divide of scholars and community can be a member. This includes exploration of one’s own village / region/community or interest group to mobilize and work on documenting, archiving, disseminating and publishing their knowledge . For this the regional secretaries and coordinators have taken their voluntary responsibilities.
Publications Books
- Paschima Odishara Loka Geeta 2009 Edited by Dr Chitrasen Pasayat
- Dr Lohia , Personality and Thoughts by Dr Mahendra K Mishra
Journals LOKARATNA: An International Journal on Folklore
Lokaratna is the e-journal of the Folklore Foundation, Bhubaneswar. Lokaratna is a peer-reviewed International journal with ISSN: 2347-6427. This journal has also been approved by the University Grant Commission, Government of India,New Delhi.The purpose of the journal is to explore the rich cultural tradition of India for a wider readership. Any scholar across the globe interested to contribute on any aspect of folklore is welcome. This volume represents the articles on culture, folklore, education, and language pedagogy.
The objectives of the journal are:
- To invite scholars to contribute research papers on any aspect of folklore, literature, socio-political issues, linguistics and language teaching in English. They should be based on the theory and research methodologies widely adopted in the areas concerned, and on empirical studies with substantial field work.
- To publish seminal articles written by senior scholars on Folklores, making them available from the original sources. It would help present lives of folklorists, outlining their substantial contribution to existing resources.
- Promote the singers , story tellers and performers of folklore by honouring them and connecting them with the regional , national and international agencies for their professional growth
- To present interviews with eminent folklorists and scholarsfrom India and abroad.
- Book Review is made by Folklore Foundation. So new books may be sent to the following address:
Request for online/manuscript submissions should be addressed to Mahendra Kumar Mishra
Editor in Chief, Lokaratna,
Folklore Foundation,
Bhubaneswar,
Odisha- 751010
E mail: lokaratnaindia@gmail.com
www.folklorefoundation.org.in
Lokaratna jOURNAL
Board of Advisors
Eminent Linguist, Founder Director,CIIL,Mysore ,India
Eminent Linguist.Ex Professor,DEpt of Linguistics, JNU, New Delhi
Prof , Anthropology, University of British Columbia
Bhasha Research Center, Baroda
Janapada Sampada , IGNCA, New Delhi
NTACH,New Delhi
Altai University
Russia
Editorial Board
Dr Mahendra K Mishra
Editor in Chief
Dr Subhasis Nanda
Asst Professor,GITAM University Hyderabad
Dr Indranil Acharya
Vidyasagar Univesity, MIdnapur, West Bengal
Prof. Ranjan K. Panda
IIT, Bombay
Dr Shubhendu Mund
Retired Professor in English , Bhubaneswar
Dr Harekrushna Meher
Retd.Professor of Sanskrit,Bhubaneswar
Dr Amitendu Bhattacharya
Asst. Professor, BITS Pilani (Goa)
Dr Sharmila Chhotray
Department of Sociology, Tripura University,Agartala
Dr Akshayya K. Rath
NIT, Rourkela.
Dr C. Vijaykumar
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Soudi Arabia
Prof. Anand Mahanand
EFLU, Hyderabad, Executive Editor
Angelica MARINESCU
3 Orient St., Bucharest, Romania | PallasPalli C-103, Bhubaneswar, India
(0040) 722255368 | (0091) 7656942773
Publication of E journal of Folklore LOKARATNA in collaboration with the national Folklore Support Center , Chennai and World Oral Literature Project of Department of Anthropology , Cambridge University UK
The journal publish original research article on culture, folklore, oral tradition, social history, religion and tribal culture. This journal contains multidisciplinary approach in research and promotes new ideas and critical thinking in cultural studies. Many established folklorists across the globe have contributed to this journal.
The above journal has been widely linked with the web sites of many universities and institutes across the globe and this can be found in the web site by just clicking Lokaratna – the journal of Folklore foundation, Orissa. The journal has an editorial committee in different disciplines to review the articles before it is published. Lokaratna is published once in a year.
The articles, after grouping them thematically and thoroughly edited by the group of subject experts, will be published as library edition.
Members:
Persons who are committed to community knowledge and folklore, community digital archives indigenous education and knowledge, multilingual education, applied linguistics and bio-cultural diversity, ecology and tribal studies, cultural studies and literature are welcome to be a member in Folklore Foundation. Their membership is a voluntary work, sparing their creative and academic time to contribute for the cause. The prime objective of this foundation is to promote folklore scholarship among the unreached population and connect them with a global network of scholarship.
All the members will be informed to take part in regional, national and international workshops and seminars taken up in different times of the year. The foundation will also make necessary facilities for the members to get their folklore papers and books published. Periodical seminars in different regions of Odisha will be encouraged by the folklore Foundation.
Office Bearers of Folklore Foundation
Mr Sukant Mishra,Bhubaneswar
Managing Trustee
DR M K Mishra,Bhubaneswar
Managing Trustee
Sapan Prusty, Baripada
Durga Layak, Keonjhar
Deepak Das
Computer Administrator And Web Services
Shibaram
www.cosmoquest.info
srm@cosmoquest.info
Office Management
Mr Bijaya Kumar Nath
Research and Studies
Dr Priyadarshini Mishra
Workshops and Seminar, Publication
Ms Gauri Prabha Singh
MSW, Research Assiciater
Ms.Bijayini Patra
MSW,B Ed. Research Associate
Regional Secretaries
Dr.Sushil Kumar Bag
Bargarh
Manoj K Herna
Boudh
Opino Gomanga
Gajapati
Bayamanu Charchi, Sailendra P Acharya
Kalahandi
Durga Layak, Anuj M Pradhan
Keonjhar
Khetrabasi Manseth, Dr.Rajendra Padhi
Kondhmal
Ranjan Mahuria, Himansu K Maharana
Koraput
Manoj Sahu, Dr Damayanti Besra
Malkangiri
Dr Sanatan Munda, Dr. Sefali Mohanta
Mayurbhanj
Subash Chandra Mishra Dr.Pradeep K Mishra, Anupaama Mahapatra
Nabarangpur
Anupaama Mahapatra, Kandarp Kishan, Baikuntha Pradhan
Sambalpur
Smita Mishra, Dr.Debasis Pandiya
Sonepur
Surendra Kumar
Nuapada
Folklorists from Tribal Communities
Srinibas Gomanga
Kaira Singh Bandia
Purna Chandra Singh
Ananda Madhi
Bhimsen Wanjamin
Purusottam Sing
Ganga Sindhu padiami
Hilarus Tirkey
Fakir Kispata
Ludo Pradhan
Arjun Nayak
Sukru Jani
Kshetrabasi Juanga
Sugriba Juanga
Gobind Gond
Bhinguram Gond
Premanand Halwa
Mohan Chinda
Taranisen Bariha
Mahendra Bariha
Tilesu Disari
Gokul Bihari Das
Laxman Hikaka
Gagarin Sabar
Krushna Sabar
Activities
Aims and Objectives
- Support regeneration of traditional music and song and dances of the tribal community.
- Support the People’s Linguistic Survey of India through providing 40 entries of tribal languages in the living tradition.
- Preparation of a Directory of Folklorists and folklore performers of different genres of folklore like , oral tradition, dance, drama, music, songs, art and craft , tales etc.
- Conducted seminars on Orissan folklore during April 2011.
Annual Activities( 2008-2011) (2012)
2008:
In the month of 5- 7 June 2008 Conduced a State Level Workshop on Folklore of Orissa: Past and Present. The focal theme of the workshop was to assess the history of folklore study from three phases
- Missionaries period
- National Movement period and
- Post independence period.
45 Participants participated in the workshop and the future direction of folklore study in Odisha was conceptualized Year Wise Activities
2009:
In 2009 October 3- 5, the focal theme of the Folklore Seminar was First and folklore. The knowledge that is constructed between man and nature is due to the existence of forest and its resources. The aim of this seminar was to understand the power and space of the indigenous people of Odisha and to assess how the mental text of the communities has reserved the collective knowledge on forest and its resources. The findings of the seminar are that forest as perceived by the modern term is different from the forest conceptualized by the communities. The whole land and forest were perceived in different names with different values attached to it. The traditional names of the forest and the categories of forest that is narrated in the oral narratives and oral myths and epics are blended with many exploring knowledge on the land. The socio economic life, folklore, oral tradition, medicine, secrets of forest and the nature of birds and animals , beauty of forest in different seasons, gods and goddesses residing in the forest , forest worship and mountain worship etc are vividly discussed by the indigenous people and the folklorists.
2010:
In 2010 a state level Seminar was organized in Orissa involving the folklorists from across the state. The focal theme of the seminar was about using folklore and local knowledge in primary education and connecting schools with the community knowledge system. The relevance of folklore in creativity and cognitive domain was discussed by the linguists, anthropologists, psychologists and folklorists. Besides the application of folklore in school curriculum was discussed and based on it the findings were shared with the school teachers, university scholars and community members.
The activities like storytelling festival, art and craft, traditional music and dance and games were tapped to examine how the folklore plays a vital role in perpetuating the experiential knowledge and connect it with the contemporary knowledge.
January 11 to April 2012:
Preparation of a comprehensive Directory of Folklorist of Odisha based on tribes, genres and regions. Documentation of endangered languages and folklore in Odisha under intangible heritage programme.
2012- Documentation of Kamar Oral Tradition, Conducted oral poets meet in Kundra Koraput.
2013-2014 ; Documentation of ethnic Ramayan in tribal languages,Koraput, Nuapada and Bargarh.
2015-
Who to Involve
Any interested person in folklore scholarship having solidarity in promoting community knowledge and promoting folklore scholarship breaking the divide of scholars and community can be a member. This includes exploration of one’s own village / region/community or interest group to mobilize and work on documenting, archiving, disseminating and publishing their knowledge . For this the regional secretaries and coordinators have taken their voluntary responsibilities.
Publications Books
- Paschima Odishara Loka Geeta 2009 Edited by Dr Chitrasen Pasayat
- Dr Lohia , Personality and Thoughts by Dr Mahendra K Mishra
Activities
Aims and Objectives
Annual Activities( 2008-2011) (2012)
Projects and Documents
Links
Lokaratna
https://indianfolklore.org/journals/index.php/Lok
Lokaratna is the official journal of the Folklore Foundation, located in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Lokaratna is a peer-reviewed academic journal in Oriya and English.
Lokaratna: Official Journal of the Folklore Foundation
www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/1810/228735/1/Lokaratna_03.pdf
Lokaratna – Non-funded collaborations
www.communitywalk.com/location/lokaratna/info/5565833
www.mendeley.com/research/lokaratna-volume-2/ – United States
H-Net Discussion Networks – Vol 3 (2010) issue of Lokaratna
h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx…h…
The recent edition of Lokaratna, Vol 3 (2010), the official journal of the Folklore Foundation, Bhubaneswar, Orissa (India), has been uploaded in the …
Partnerships – World Oral Literature Project : Research & Outreach
www.oralliterature.org/collections/partnerships.html
21 Nov 2011 – As the official journal of the Folklore Foundation, Lokaratna is a bilingual, peer reviewed academic journal published in Oriya and English.
Children’s Folklore
Folklore Foundation has collected more than 5000 folktales from the children and the story tellers from different cultural region of Odisha and has documented it. The purpose of this documentation is to create a school community linkage and bring solidarity among the parents and teachers and schools to promote community knowledge. The thematic areas like eco – literacy, creativity and cognition, visual pedagogy and nature study through folktales, story map, story chart and village map. etc have been adopted to sensitize the community and school children to explore that knowledge emerges from experience. Children’s experiential learning is documented as expressive tradition.
Some specimen of Children’s Literature and illustration
Folktales
Myths
Tribal Oral Tradition
Documentation of oral tradition from the endangered tribal communities of Odisha is the prime objective of Folklore Foundation. In the first instance, FF has taken the pilot study on documentation of fast vanishing oral tradition of Kamar ( paharia) communities of Odisha.
Who to Involve
Any interested person in folklore scholarship having solidarity in promoting community knowledge and promoting folklore scholarship breaking the divide of scholars and community can be a member. This includes exploration of one’s own village / region/community or interest group to mobilize and work on documenting, archiving, disseminating and publishing their knowledge . For this the regional secretaries and coordinators have taken their voluntary responsibilities.
Publications Books
- Paschima Odishara Loka Geeta 2009 Edited by Dr Chitrasen Pasayat
- Dr Lohia , Personality and Thoughts by Dr Mahendra K Mishra