Jug Sirijol and Santal Traditions: July–august 1971

This paper studies some core questions concerning socio-cultural impact of a comparatively understudied Santali Jug Sirijol quarterly periodical which was started in 1971 in West Bengal. This paper explores how quarterly periodical publication and the notion of aesthetics and culture that progressed over the centuries became intimately tied up with the query of identity and social differentiation in the identity. It delineates how through the periodicals’ literary command authors wanted to concentize the specific target group population about genesis of the tribe, its speech or language, cultural significance, generational oral history of this tribe, Ghost stories, drama etc. To complicate the notion of quotidian practice like reading the literature has not been the part and parcel of Santals’ life contrary to which they prefer hunting, singing, dancing, social gathering, drinking etc. This study portrays that educated and well to do families and people with leisure time can devote time for reading.