Poraja is a Dravidian tribe found in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. The Poraja folk songs reflect nature in various conditions and use ecological elements extensively. This paper brings out the similarity in the usage of ecological elements in songs of the Poraja and in cagkam literature of Tamil Nadu. The Poraja believe in the existence of forest goddesses for whom, the existence of forests is vital. This is similar to the concept of ‘kaaTamar celvi’ of cagkam literature. In both the Poraja as well as cagkam tradition, natural happenings are used as metaphors to explain the human mood. Offering “paan” is considered as wooing in Poraja culture whereas the same is recited with a negative connotation in cagkam literature. These similarities could be because of the common Dravidian base from which both the traditions had arisen.
Indian Journal of Eco-criticism (IJE),
Vol. 1. Aug. 2008. 49-54
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