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Book No. – 22 (Sociology)
Book Name – Indian Society & Culture (Nadeem Hasnain)
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LANGUAGE
Social Change in Village India
Chapter – 10
Table of Contents
Village India has undergone significant changes since independence, marked by four main trends identified by A.R. Desai (1978):
- Transformation of agrarian society from subsistence-based traditional farming to a market-based, commercialized agrarian sector integrated into the total Indian society.
- Introduction of modern urban techniques by the government to transform the colonial agrarian economy into a well-knit, compact one, integrated with the national economy.
- Government attempts to cripple or eliminate certain classes in agrarian India.
- The emergence of a complex network of associations and institutions within the agrarian society, influenced by urban factors.
- Holistic view of rural India reveals a society undergoing rapid transformation, with changes in technology, economic structure, caste system, joint family, political organization, ideology, and value systems.
- The state has acquired a central role in driving change in rural India.
- Important factors of social change in village India include:
- Changed land tenure, land reforms, and rural development programs.
- Impact of urbanization and technological change, along with the rural-urban continuum.
- Market economy’s impact on agrarian society.
- Influence of mass media on rural social life.
Social consequences of Green Revolution and land reforms:
- Enclaves of prosperity exist alongside the pauperization of marginal farmers and agricultural laborers.
- New agrarian classes have emerged, leading to new economic and political patterns.
- The socio-political ramifications are critical in understanding social change in rural India.
The role of the Indian state is central to changes in political and economic life in rural India:
- Granting of universal franchise has generated significant social and political ferment, unleashing forces of change.
- Important economic measures include:
- Reclamation of land for cultivation and irrigation projects (minor and major).
- Introduction of improved seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, and tools.
- Measures to regulate private money lending and provision of institutional finance.
- Development blocks, extension services, and cooperative societies.
- Panchayat raj and support for small-scale and cottage industries.
- The spread of education, special schemes for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, and weaker sections have contributed to social changes.
- Measures for empowerment of women are also playing a crucial role in the transformation of rural India.