Apart from the Family, the immediate society played a great part in creating an environment for the knowledge of Ithihasams to be imbibed amongst the young generation.
Most of the settlements were river based and had a presiding deity for the people to worship. Over a period of time, temples sprang up, which had its own source of Agricultural Land owned by the Temple but leased to cultivators. These temples were not just places of worship, but in addition they were cultural centers too.
With the Hinduism boasting of numerous festivals, the temples always had a reason to celebrate something or other, be it the ten day long Annual festival, Vishu, Navarathri, Karthikai, Pradosham, Pournami, Ekadasi, Thiruvathirai, and so on. The list is endless. The young were taught by the elders in the village as to the reason why these festivals and auspicious days were celebrated, and this got internalized over a period of time.
In addition, the Koothambalams, and the much smaller stages in the local temples were venues for the conduct of Namasankeerthanams, Kathakalakshepams, Bhagavatha Parayanams, Ramayana Parayanam, Music, Dance, Drama, Dance Drama like Kathakali, Ottan Thullal, Chakyar Koothu, Yakshaganam.............It varied from district to district and state to state. But the underlying theme was the same - narrate/demonstrate the story of the god in such an aesthetically pleasing way that it leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the impressionable children. If you have seen a top dancer performing about Yasodha and Krishna, you tend to remember it for ever. I still recall my first exposure to Kathakali when I was 9 years old. It was the popular 'Kiratham', the fight between Arjunan and Lord Shiva, in the guise of a Kattala, which culminates in Lord Shiva blessing Arjuna with the Pasupathasthram. The fact that I can remember this almost 43 years down the line, as I first saw in Chandranagar Colony School ground, shivering throughout a december night (Kathakali performance start at 10pm) and go on till 4 am, is a testimony to the impact these Kshetra Kalakal had on young children. I was barely 6 years old when our School in Vadakara organized an Ottan Thullal - Kalyanasougandhikam. 
Bheeman, in search of Kalyanasaugandhikam, meets an old monkey (his brother Hanuman, which he is not aware of) lying prone blocking his path, and arrogantly says,'Nokkada nammude marge kidakkunna
Markada neeyangu mari kidasada'
And what followed was an enchanting display of Thullal kala, telling the 'Samwadam' between the two brothers, born across two different yugams, as narrated by Kunjan Nambiar.
The eco system thus took care of spreading our Ithihasams and their core philosophy through anecdotes and stories, which left it etched in one's mind forever.
But with people moving away from villages, and cities becoming concrete jungles, with hardly any 'Sanskriti' to boast of, today's generation is limited to knowing about Ithihasams only from TV Serials and a few comics.
If I ask ten hindus, inclusive of the elderly, to name the 10 avatarams of Vishnu, I will hardly find one capable of giving the right answer, and none who can tell it in sequence. The other day, I was watching a TV Quiz show, and the participants ignorance when asked about some basic questions from Ramayana and Mahabharata was astounding. When one stumbled by mistake and gave the correct answer, he attributed it to watching a TV serial 10 years ago!!
The society has changed, and in the rush to be westernized, we have lost our roots. It is a matter of shame that it is the Westerners who are more into our religion and culture, than Indians....... contd..
