Introduction
The Santal is the third largest tribal community in India with the total population of around 7.4 million. They are racially proto-australoid and linguistically part of the Munda group of Austro-asiatic sub-family. They are scattered throughout Eastern India but concentrated largely in the states of Jharkhand (2,754, 723). Odisha (1894, 764) and West Bengal (2, 512, 331) respectively (Census, 2011) In West Bengal the Santal are mainly concentrated in the districts of Paschim Midnapur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Burdwan, Birbhum, Malda and West Dinajpur. In Birbhum they constitute more than 7% of total population (35.02, 404) of the district and are spread over all of its blocks specially Sriniketan, the area of study in varying percentages ranging from 5% to 15% and above (See Map). The Santal like many other tribal groups of the country though operate within the agrarian economic structure of the caste society but at the same time live in a world of dynamic isolation perpetuating a distinct social and cultural life. This is clearly marked in their faith system and its translation into ritual action on ceremonial occasions related to the existence of what they call Bonga in the present context, meaning 'spirit or 'godling. Bongaism (spiritism) is the corner stone of their culture the reason being the belief in Bonga is central to the organization of the Santal life activities and one of the bases of the formation of their world view. Thus Bongaism being a subject matter of metaphysical reality, has prompted me to deal with this in the present work entitled Aspects of the Spiritism in Santal society. But it is not denying the fact that the present work is the outcome of Prof. Baidyanath Saraswati's thought provoking ideas which he has evolved and published in the form of a discussant book "The Sacred Science of Man: an Indian Alternative to Evolutionary Anthropology" in 1993. While reflecting upon the sacred science of nature, he finds it inconceivable to have a scientia (scientific knowledge) without reference to sapientia (divine wisdom). The gravity of Saraswati's concern towards the latter specially with reference to the mankind may be understood in the context of the modern science moulded on the philosophy of life in the Western hemisphere. As Shukla (1999) finds in this sphere, in contrast to the positivity, views nature as negation of what man is. From evolutionary perspective, it is indicated that man has evolved as one of the innumerable other evolutes of nature, but he takes himself as to be the other or different, the adversary, the negation. In their perception while man is finite, God is infinite, the nonfinite. God is what man is not. God must be lifeless, inert, inactive as opposed to man who is full of life, vivacity, activity, subjectivity. God becomes spirit or spiritual by his being contemplated by man, by reason. God never thinks. Man thinks and as god is what man is not, god can not think. Man is spirit therefore god is not spirit.
About The Book
The Santal is a tribe of Proto-australoid origin, inhabiting in majority the three adjoining states of Eastern India Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. They have been labelled as hedonistric people by a many. The Santal are, however, equally spiritualistic. This has been shown in the present work entitled Aspects of Spiritism in Santal society. Leavng introduction this subject has been dealt with under three chapters - The Santal World of Bongas (spirits), Bongas in Santal Thought and Experiencing the Bongas from three distinct perspectives-epistemology, ontology and phenomenology. The concept of life and death has been central to the discussion. Having analysed the data it is observed that in Santal society there is no contrast between life and death. Death is just the equilibrium of life. The major theoretical issues which arise from the study is that though the concepts of life and death are a matter ontologically central as a whole, the idea of Spiritism epistemologically speaking is a mystery that has remained unresolved since the birth of man on the planet earth. The reason being 'the question' and 'the questioner' are the same. Man himself is 'the interpretation' and 'the interpreter' as well. As a questioning Being, Man has until now failed to understand the aspects of non-being but phenomenologically he can experience it by transforming metaphysical into physical in a state of time transcendence.
About The Author
Onkar Prasad (b. 1948) is an anthropologist and ethnomusicologist. He was formerly Professor at the Dept. of Anthropology and Dean, Vidya Bhavan (Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences), Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, W. Bengal. Among his major works the Folk Music and Folk Dances of Banaras were reprinted in 2010 by the Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, Santal Music: A Study in Pattern and Process of Cultural Persistence reprinted in 2013 by Inter-India Publications, New Delhi and Methods of Raga Formation and Music Analysis (jointly with his teacher, Prof. Mohan Singh Khangura, a music maestro) published in 2015 by Parampara, Kolkata. His book, Musical Cosmology of the Santal which deals with the cosmological dimension of the Santal music and his another book Anthropology of Sound: Santal tribe were published by B.R. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi in 2016. Dr. Prasad is credited for nurturing Creative Anthropology. His other works are Anthropology, of Oraon Music, Santal Thought: Reflections of Time and Space and My Way to the Anthropology of Music.
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