Evaluate the Contribution of Folklore, Songs, Popular Prints Etc. In Shaping the Nationalism During Freedom Struggle.

Folklores, folk songs, prints, icons and symbols etc. helped in unifying the Indians and inspired a feeling of nationalism in them. The image of India was first visualized as Bharat Mata by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and also a hymn “Vande Mataram’ was written by him in 1870s. This hymn was later included in his novel Anandamath and sung during the swadeshi movement in Bengal.

The image of Bharat Mata was portrayed as calm, composed, divine and spiritual which acquired different forms in different years by different artists. This image of India developed the ideas of nationalism in India.

The Indian folklores were revived and the folk tales were recorded and sung by bards which gave a true picture of the traditional Indian culture and tells how it was ruined by the Britishers.

Rabindranath Tagore led the movement for the revival of the folks and thus collected ballads, nursery rhymes and myths .Tamil folk tales were published by Natesa Shashtri in his book The folklore of southern India which was a massive four volume collection.

A tricolor swadeshi flag, using red, green and yellow was designed during the swadeshi movement in Bengal which had 8 lotuses for the representation of the 8 provinces and a crescent moon for symbolizing the Hindus and the Muslims. A tricolor Swaraj flag was designed by Gandhiji in the year 1921 using the colours red, green and white. A spinning wheel was in the centre of the flag which represented the Gandhian ideal of self¬help.