Composed by an individual, handed down orally and possessing different versions, folk songs are anonymous in nature. Just as rainwater acquires the colour of the earth it falls on, folk songs varied according to the times, the land and the lifestyle of the people who created them. What academic literature had not said, what it had refused to say -- all these formed the content of folk songs. They were realistic pictures in verse, of people and their lives as they lived them, They are reflection of the past, the present and the future, Free from any artificiality, they provided excellent material for researchers, because they were treasure houses of information regarding different aspects of life.

We have given you two lessons on folk songs. In this lesson, we shall deal with their antiquity, their collection and publication, and the research that has been done on them.

The oldest Tamil literary text available to us, is the Tholkappiam. The author of this work, Tholkappiar, has given us the characteristics of folk literature also. Scholars are of the view that the words "Pulan" and "Pannathi" which occur in the Tholkappiam, refer to folk songs.

We have evidence of the popularity of folk songs in Sangam literature itself. Several poems in later literature have originated from these folk songs; for example, Silappathikaram.

It was during the 17th century that the tendency to collect and publish folk songs appeared in Europe. An Englishman, Charles-e-Gover who published the book, “Folk Songs of South India” in 1871, picked up this trend. Indian scholars soon followed Gover's example and published several books of folk songs.

Folk songs can be classified into eight types, based on their theme and content -- lullabies, childhood songs, play songs, work songs (Tholir Paadalkal), prayer songs, celebration songs, mendicants' songs and funeral songs, Various research studies have been conducted on folk songs. They help us to realize how valuable folk songs are, in understanding the life and culture of the people.