Bengal's folklore struggles for a place in academia

In an age where artificial intelligence writes poetry, algorithms curate our music playlists, and digital platforms remix traditional tunes for instant consumption, a quieter, more organic rhythm still beats in the heart of Bengal—the rhythm of its folk songs, tribal myths, and centuries-old oral traditions.

- BISWABRATA GOSWAMI

It is a rhythm that speaks of paddy harvests and springtime festivals, of community rites and sacred legends, of a worldview shaped not in classrooms but under the open sky. Yet, while much of the world has embraced this living heritage as a serious field of academic study, West Bengal's universities remain curiously indifferent.

That gap is exactly what the Department of Folklore at Kalyani University is determined to close. In a detailed memorandum to the state government, the department's teachers, researchers, and students have called for the formal introduction of 'Folklore and Tribal Studies' at every level of education—from secondary school to doctoral research.

Their plea is not just an academic demand. It is, in their words, "a cultural safeguard, an economic opportunity, and an act of justice for the communities whose traditions shaped Bengal's identity."

A global movement Bengal risks missing Across continents, the study of folklore has evolved far beyond the romanticism of old folk tales. In the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Finland, England, Mexico, Estonia, and Australia, universities have long housed dedicated folklore departments, supported by robust research funding. UNESCO, recognising folklore as a vital part of intangible cultural heritage, has repeatedly urged governments to integrate it into formal education and policy-making.

Closer home, Bangladesh has made folklore a proud academic export. Several of its universities—including the University of Dhaka and Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University—offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in folklore, often coupled with ethnology and cultural anthropology. Nepal, too, has moved in this direction.