FOLK MEDIA AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION: A STUDY OF THE BHUYA FOLK FORM OF NYISHI TRIBE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Folk media are generally considered to be the non-electronic communication media practices that transmit tradition from one generation to another. But their convergence on electronic media platforms like television and radio can turn these folk media into effective tools in disseminating a wide range of development information in the form of entertainment, news, and other social messages. Despite the onslaught from urbanization, modernization and influence of other culture on their traditional folk media practices, the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh are still practising their age-old traditions in different aspects of their life. Folk media have been used in various situations for developmental communication in modern times. One of the most popular Nyishi folk forms is the Bhuya comprising song and dance. Because of its unique character of being flexible, Bhuya can be a good choice of medium to carry contemporary developmental messages regarding social issues particularly in the tribal areas of Arunachal Pradesh. This paper explores how effective and potential Bhuya folk dance could be in carrying contemporary developmental messages as a medium of mass communication when integrated with modern mass media such as digitalized audio form or video format.