One interesting part of Tusu festival is its tradition. The tradition it comes with has highly encouraged young women’s creativity. This is in the sense that if their songs are worthy, they will be remembered by all. Usually both young and old women together sing these tusu songs. The tradition of singing songs is help up as a strategy meant for preservation of oral history.
Unfortunately, the tradition of tusu festival has been jeopardized to a great extent. Tusu possessions that used to happen in villages earlier, has now taken the shape of rarity. Hardly shall you get to see those colorful tusu processions in the villages. On an addition, the rituals have become obsolete. The main reason for this is that it is tusu competitions that have taken the shape of major events. The rituals are now followed hardly for one day. It can be rightly said that it is the cash prized luring people to indulge more and more in the competitions and are wiping away the traditional rituals slowly.
[A singer singing Tusu song at a talent hunt]
However, as of Purulia, the tusu competition is not held on Makar Sankranti but on the 23rd of January. On an addition, it cannot be missed saying that tusu songs in the recent past have been taken up as the theme tunes for many social activity groups as well as the political parties. Their commercial usage has extended to such an extent that today women fear singing these songs in the public in case any politicalleader happens to overhear and get angry. Also tusu
songs are taken up as a special fold song category by the professional singers. You can now easily avail CDs and DVDs on tusu song from music stores. Also various commercial Videos on Tusu songs and dance are available for free over YouTube.
Whether the fear of commercialization or the political groups silence the melodious tusu songs of the tribal women now remains entirely in the form of a question!!!
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