1.1 INTRODUCTION:

Culture and communication are defined and re-defined frequently, as a concept that intimately connected with what is fundamentally human. According to the anthropological view, the culture combined with all the variables that first emerged and established the interpersonal interactions with the similar group to form the separate society, consequently allowing for intercultural communication. The connection between the culture and communication are critical and closer one. Initially, the culture developed through communication.

That is, the cultural characteristics that include customs, norms, rituals and other outline are interacted and shared through communication. However, without communication and communication technology, it is not possible to protect and carry the cultural uniqueness from one to next. So, culture can form, developed, and spread through the communication. Likewise, the communication patterns built, prepared and spread through the culture.

To know the proposals of communication and culture relationship it is essential to consider the current communication procedures than a single contact incident. For instance, when a group of three-people meets the for the first time, the members carry ideas and behavioral structures from their earlier communication knowledge and other cultures. As the individuals begin to connect in communication with each other in the new group, they initiate to build a shared experiences and ways of talking about them. If the members maintain to interact then a set of unique history, structures, customs, and rituals are developed.

When discussing communication and culture, one should be aware of the total spectrum of communication including language, non-verbal communication, customs, perceived values and concepts of time and space. In all the cultural groups, there exists a cultural communication system with its native channels to pass the messages both vertically and horizontally. Through these channels, the residents pass on the messages and share their views among themselves, which is very much familiar to everyone of that particular cultural group as every individual socialized from their early childhood onwards. Apart from this, there are also channels to bring messages and innovations from outside meant for the development of the people.

Concern about cultural diversity has given rise to the marriage of culture and communication and the recognition of the intercultural communication as a unique field of study. The natural mixture in the cross-cultural communication engages in analyzing the elements of culture that influence the members of two or more cultures interaction. For better understanding, first, has to study the fundamental aspects of culture and then has to clarify how these features change the communication process.

As specified, the culture formed through communication among the people made the culture to change over a period. Each involved in a discussion meeting carries their own experiences from other culture memberships. Transportation and communication technologies rapidly increased the speed of the communication flow from one cultural background to another.

1.2 OBJECTIVE:

The primary objective of the article is to examine the following study in cultural transmission, they are;

· The traditional form of communication and the cultural development among Badagar community in the Nilgiri District, Tamil Nadu.

· Interconnect between, social media and the cultural transmission, and

· The advent of Facebook and its impact on the Badagar Community.

1.3 METHODOLOGY:

The predominant method used in the research was in-depth interviews with community leaders, native people, and immigrants. The central question that the study aimed to answer was a reformulation of the objective of the project, namely: What should be done to preserve or restore the ethnic, festivals and rituals of a cultural group.

Since the research is mainly to study the culture and tradition of Badagar community, the standard anthropological technique of participant observation and random samples of clusters included in the survey. That is, this research would apply Cluster Sampling for collecting data using field visits, and Ethnographic methods used for observation and in-depth interview using interview schedule.

1.4 CULTURAL TRANSMISSION:

Cultural transmission is the process of transmitting a society’s cultural customs and information from one generation to next generation. That is, cultural transmission is a process where a group of people within a community try to learn and passes the new information. The learning process is very much influenced by how a culture mingles with its kids and youngsters, where the parents and family have primary responsibility for cultural transformation. The process through which a child gains the knowledge of his own culture called as ‘enculturation.' The cultural experience allows an individual to gain skills, which is unable to learn separately over the course of their lifetimes.

The critical characteristic of culture is to learn and transmit from one generation to the next generation that depends on the human beings ability to think symbolically. That is, language is the essential characteristics of culture, which is the symbolic form of communication. The culture could not be transmitted from one generation to another generation within the society only because of the language, which makes the community to learn from the previous generation to maintain the cultural continuity.

The cultural transmission, the resource for distributing ideas or information considerably influenced by the surroundings and social formations. These social structures are the essential part of the cultural transmission, which has the impact on the ‘enculturated, ’ and another significant portion is cultural evolution, which states that culture is not stationary and it changes regularly.

1.4.1 Cultural Transmission and Communication:

The production of symbolic forms and their transmission is a social phenomenon which involves different aspects; firstly the technical medium of transmission, next to the institutional medium of transmission, and lastly the space-time of distraction engaged in the communication.

The social interactions have been changing from society to society. Primitive society mostly used face to face interaction and word-of-mouth channel. But as technology developed the channels of the telegraph, wireless and letters came in practice. Mass media prepared in the late fifteenth century when techniques associated with Gutenberg’s printing press were taken up by many institutions and individuals in significant trading centers to produce multiple copies of manuscripts and texts.

The technical medium of transmission is the material substratum of the symbol form that is, the physical component with which and by which, a symbolic way is produced and transmitted. These elements vary enormously from the material conditions of face-to-face conversation to electronic and satellite communication. The technology-use also changes the degree of fixation of symbols since video CD or paper would ‘fix’ the symbols for a longer time than done through the use of the phone.

1.4.2 Communication Development:

In the course of time, drastic changes happened in the communication from primary sending letters to someone to everything at finger touch and never going to be the same. Over the period, from the speech to modern technologies communication has a prolonged change in the world. Now, there are telephones, cell phones, computers, and email that made the human’s communication straightforward and speed. The advancements in the communication era witnessed the fast development in the reach of mass media and techniques for the exchange of ideas. For example, the printed materials with type, graphics, and photographs also modernized with the technologies like computer desktop publishing, which also reduced the time and cost with better access and flexibility.

However, the communication research in the recent period made it possible to expand the insight into the fundamental reasons like why and how people adapt to a particular communication and lifestyle.

1.5 THE NILGIRIS:

Tamil Nadu, situated in the Southern part India, which covers 1, 30,000 sq.kms geographical area representing nearly four percent of India. The landscape of Tamil Nadu consists of broad coastal plains in the East, with moorland and hills proceeds Westward and the plains providing half the area of the state.

The Western Ghats runs Southward alongside the full length of the Western border of the Tamil Nadu and ends at the Cape of Corner of the state. The Eastern Ghats begins in Orissa passes through Andhra Pradesh State and enter into Tamil Nadu through North Arcot, Salem, and Coimbatore districts and finally join the Western Ghats to form the world famous the Nilgiris plateau.

Among the 15 tribal groups in the Nilgiris, the Badagar, Kotas, and Todas are the principal tribal groups of the province. Similarly, there are other tribes groups like Irulas and Kurumbas, who also found in the other parts like Coimbatore, Malabar, and Mysore with the similar name. The agricultural element on these hills is represented by the Badagas, whereas the Todas are the pastoral, and the Kotas, the blacksmith tribes of the Nilgiris.

1.6 BADAGAR:

The Badagas are the most significant indigenous community among the tribal groups on the Nilgiri hills and one of the unique communities which have its own rich set of traditions and customs. Badaga community is widespread in the villages of The Nilgiris. Now The Nilgiris has become the place for the whole Badaga community and were contact with the Europeans for about 150 years. The other tribes inhabiting the Nilgiris for centuries had maintained a well-balanced system of public relations with the Badagas (Hockings, 1989). The Badagas settled on the hills and began cultivation with a mutual inter-tribal relationship with the other inhabitants of the mountains. It also shows that the Kotas, Todas, and Kurumbas were in positions of power to demand tributes from the Badagas. Later this equation was changed, and the Badagas claimed to be superior to the other tribes.

The Badagas population estimated as 250,000 according to the 2011 census, which is 19 percent of the district population of 630,169 as of 1981 census. As per the population figures in 1812, there were hardly 2,207 Badagas, and as per census 1901, the Badaga population raised to 34,178. It considered that as per today’s estimation, there might be around 250,000 Badagas. With the demanding cash-crop agriculture development, the Badagas adapted and improved themselves to a standard of living.

1.7 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION:

As discussed earlier, the communication development has the power to affect not only the lifestyle but also the culture, religion, personal thoughts and, beliefs. Communication is a vital tool that scholars use to understand the social and cultural environment by focusing on every aspect of the cultural elements of a community.

Since the global population is growing at a rapid speed, the outlook of worldwide became smaller, and we started connecting with the people that we never imagined before. Being powerful and playing a significant role in human life, the media is measured most dominating tool of the communication. The folklore also listed as critical communication aspect in cultural perspective. This study will examine the role of communication development especially the internet and social media mainly the Facebook in creating cultural transmission among the Badaga community of Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu, India.

One of the recent advances in the field of media is the social media. It is the type of media that users can easily participate in creating and sharing content that includes blogs, social networks, wikis, forums, and virtual worlds. Social Networking is online services that enable its users to build virtual networks with like-minded people.

In the current scenario, the social networking sites are the most prominent and Facebook developed as one the most known social networking site with 600 million users. Facebook also provide services like ‘private messaging’ system as well as a public messaging system in the form of ‘Wall’.

The Badagas has a massive chunk of the population using Facebook. In recent times, there are numerous groups created on the Facebook in the name of Badagas, and also the Badaga youth are very active members of the social media like Facebook. Some of the favorite Badaga groups created on the Facebook are;

· ‘BADAGAS’ with 20,973 active members

· ‘Nanga Kula Devaru’ with 6,891 active members

· ‘BADUGA LEGENDS’ with 14,615 active members

· ‘Gujja Gujjis’ with 4,448 active members

· ‘Hetheya Makka’ with 11,277 active members

· ‘Badagas from India and Abroad’ with 10,089 active members

· ‘Badaga Jobs’ with 3,612 active members

· ‘BADAGA MAHAJANA SANGHA’ with 2,184 active members

· ‘BADAGA ALBUM’ with 1,584 active members

· ‘Badagas got Talents’ with 4,381 active members

· ‘BADAGA (YOUNG)’ with 1,596 active members

· ‘International Badaga Association (IBA)’ with 5,161 active members

· ‘PURE BADAGAS’ with 6,758 active members

· ‘PROUD TO BE A BADAGA!!!’ with 3,714 active members

· ‘BADAGA WOMEN'S GROUP’ with 571 active members

According to Mr. ‘Bluest Heaven’ Devaraj, Freelance Journalist, Ooty, who belongs to the Porore village of Mekkunadu Seemai and also an active participant in the Facebook with 4,998 friends states that “The popularity of social networks like Facebook became a hotspot among the Badagas, in particular, the youth. There are many groups created in the Facebook related to the Badaga community. Through these groups, we can see many things updated in every second related to the Badaga community. Due to the advanced development in the mobile technology especially after the arrival of the Smart cell phone, almost 90% of the Badaga youth have the smartphone with 3G connections (BSNL, Ooty). Most of the Badaga youth use to update their Facebook status with posting on the wall, pictures, comments, etc., mostly related to their community”.

He also added that “whenever there is a festival, we can get much information related to the festivals like the festival date, rituals, and reasons for the rituals, how the rituals performed and also pictures along with the post updated on the Facebook. As per Facebook concern, it is kind of interesting that the maximum contributions made by the hatti (village) people than the migrated Badagas. The hatti (village) people are very efficient in the Facebook than the Badagas who live outside the Nilgiri districts”.

He also added that “Sometime there will be very controversial postings related to the Badaga community and culture, there will be an exchange of words between the members, which will carry for a week time. The active participation is from the hatti (village) people, where most of the outside Badaga people just participated in this postings by making ‘likes’ or commenting as ‘super,' ‘nice’ and to the peak, they comment as ‘missing it’ to the posts”.

He also added that “there are very active members in the Facebook like Mr. Hariharan Emerald Bhojan, Management Graduate and doing his own Tea Business, belongs to Manihatti village of Mekkunadu Seemai is a regular activist in the Facebook. His post on Badaga ‘morai’ and ‘kola’ (clan) is a worthy piece of research work on the Badaga community. Similarly, Mr. Rama Krishna Senthil, Graduate from Kotagiri town of Porangadu Seemai is also very active on the Facebook. His posting is mostly related to the Badaga origin and nativity issues. Likewise, Mr. Raghu Joghee, Photo Journalist, Dinamalar (Tamil Daily Newspaper) is very active with posting his photos related to the Badagas in the Facebook”.

Based on the above statement it is understood that the Badagas are very active in the Social Media like Facebook when compared to any other media. There are many groups in the Facebook related to the Badaga community. It is fascinating that any information related Badagas, we can get it in the Facebook groups. It is shocking and surprising that whatever information a researcher wanted about the Badagas can directly look into the Facebook Badaga groups because it is challenging to get information related to Badagas since there is no clear documentation associated with Badaga community.

To our knowledge, after going through the Badagas activities on the Facebook, we can witness that Facebook is an efficient communication technology, which helps the youth Badagas to know more about their culture, rituals, festivals, and celebrations, especially for the Young Badagas who live away from their native hatties (villages).

1.8 CONCLUSION:

One of the recent advances in the field of media is the social media. The Badagas has a considerable chunk of the population using Facebook. In recent times, there are numerous groups created on the Facebook in the name of Badagas. The popularity of social networks like Facebook became a hotspot among the Badagas, particular the youth. Facebook is an efficient communication technology, which helps the youth Badagas to know more about their culture, rituals, festivals, and celebrations, especially for the Young Badagas who live away from their native hatties (villages).

Since the popularity of the Facebook became a hotspot among the Badagas, particular the youth, there should be an active contribution from the migrated Badagas who are away from their native village.

All the studies are building blocks in the literature of particular subject and provides concert proposal for advanced research. Since the communication and cultural studies are the vast area, there is a scope in extending the research activities more deeply into many of its wings. Further studies may conduct in the communication development that includes socialization, local Cable TV, Homepages, Social media, and so on that has a significant impact on the cultural transmission of a particular community.

1.9 REFERENCE:

1. Breeks. James Wilkinson. An Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilagiris. India Museum. 1873. London.

2. Byrne, Michelle (2001). ‘Ethnography as a qualitative research method’, Association of Operating Room Nurses, AORN Journal; Denver.

3. Francis, Waiter (1908). The Nilgiris a Hundred years ago, Madras District Gazetteer of the Nilgiris District, Madras.

4. Hall, Edward T (1976). ‘Beyond Culture’, Garden City, New York, Anchor Press/Doubleday.

5. Hockings, Paul Edward (1988). ‘The Badagas- In Blue Mountains: The Ethnography and Biogeography of a South Indian Region’ (Eds), Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

6. James W. Carey (1989). Views of Communication: Transmission and Ritual, Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society, Boston, Unwin Hyman.

7. The Nilgiri District (2015- 2016), District Hand Book, Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Tamil Nadu, The Nilgiris.

8. Thurston, Edgar, and Kadamki Rangachari (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Government.

Received on 24.10.2017 Modified on 11.12.2017

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2018; 9(1): 86-90.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00015.3