Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Need for new cultural awareness: Panikkar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala society needs a new cultural awareness to counter casteism, communalism and violence that are symbols of cultural backwardness, historian K.N. Panikkar said here on Friday.

Imperialism, globalisation and consumerism may all be blamed for the cultural backwardness of the State. However, it is suspected that Kerala is fast losing the ability to introspect, look inwards, to find answers to this problem. It is the duty of cultural organisations and cultural leaders to help Kerala regain this ability, he said.

Dr. Panikkar was inaugurating a seminar on culture organised as part of the Conference on Malayalam organised by the University of Kerala .

There is a concept that only those things that are to do with creative pursuits form part of culture. This concept also imparts to culture a utilitarian nature. This view has its origins in the 19th century. The influence of this line of thought can be discerned in the establishment of national Akademis during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. Even today such cultural organisations are only able to effect cultural interventions. They are not able to intervene in culture; the two are different, Dr. Panikkar pointed out. This is why such organisations are not able to tackle head on the growing cultural backwardness in the State.

The very concept and definition of culture has to change. It has to be understood that culture is part and parcel of the daily life of people, their food, clothing, family ties, social relations and modes of worship. Cultural renaissance had tried to recreate all these aspects of people’s lives. But today, a return to the renaissance culture is not possible; the answer is to go forward from renaissance culture.

A cultural tilling is in progress in the State today; a state of affairs where it is not possible to understand the philosophy of culture. Such a situation prevailed during the colonial days. Then there was nationalism to help the people tide over the situation. Today there is only the pseudo-nationalism of communalism. In such a situation, a study of Kerala’s culture of the last 50 years assumes importance.

The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala B. Ekbal also participated.in the function.

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