Understanding Rural and Rurality in Indian Society Part - 1

The blog makes an effort to explain the idea of rurality. A brief introduction of Indian society's social structure, including the Caste and Tribe systems and their implications for comprehending rurality, was also provided.

Content

  1. Introduction
  2. The concepts of rural-rurality and village in India
  3. Understanding the concept of Rural
  4. Understanding the Concept of Rurality
  5. Definition of Rural and Village
  6. Overview of Rural Society in India
  7. Brief Note on Caste System in India
  8. Tribes in India 
  9. Summary

Introduction

There are clear changes from early human societies in village communities and rural societies. Prior to the development of agriculture, hunting and gathering provided the majority of their sustenance. They used to lead a nomadic lifestyle, moving from one location to another in quest of sustenance. However, as time went on, man progressively developed the essential abilities and knowledge in agriculture, leading to the practise of sedentary farming with the addition of animal domestication. After the primary technology was introduced into agriculture, settled life in the communities quickly started, and villages soon followed. As a result, the formation of the village marked a transition from a collective way of life based on nomadic movement to one based on permanent agriculture.

Grasping Indian village society and village life suffices to a large extent for understanding the concept of rural and rurality. Without considering the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, a study of Indian villages or rural society would be lacking. According to him, "India lives in villages." And that is still true, at least in terms of demographics, where the vast majority of people live in villages and it is important to remember him1. Indian village(s) social life exhibits a variety of significance, particularly for its social hierarchy, subservient religious activities, and exchange relations, as well as economic pursuits. Village environments, despite their differences in many socio-cultural and economic domains, have the capacity to strengthen social relationships between people and communities, encourage the establishment of stability, promote the preservation of culture, etc. India's social and cultural life is incredibly diverse and rich, reflecting the country's multi-social, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-caste nature. However diverse and distinctive their culture may be, agriculture was still the main source of their income in rural areas generally and the surrounding villages specifically.

It is crucial to characterise the village in terms of its structural components, such as its population, physical layout, forms of production, as well as other features and functionalities. The demographic makeup of the village varies from village to village; in smaller villages, the population may be less than 1,000; in medium- and large-sized villages, it may exceed 5,000.

The concepts of rural-rurality and village in india

The villages in India serve as the fundamental building blocks of rural society. The social, economic, political, and other structural and functional aspects of rural society were intertwined with them. However, the village's physical makeup creates the social institutions that begin with the family and include the caste and tribal social systems, religions, and belief systems in addition to the infrastructure, modes of economic production, and developmental aspects. The rural Indian community has, nevertheless, seen a lot of transformation recently. In fact, it is clear that a number of reforms—chief among them the land reforms and other social changes that were supported by state-led development—accelerated the pace of change.

Understanding the concept of Rural

Rural is a term that is frequently used in everyday speech without having a clear scientific definition. It is assumed that everyone is familiar with what the term "rural" means. The concept of rural, however, is often related with geographic and demographic factors, such as the location of settlements, which are frequently distinguished from urban communities. The rural area is frequently defined by the following criteria: low population density (relative to urban areas, very few people live in rural areas), small settlement sizes, restricted access to economic opportunities, education, and health care, etc. Census of India defines urban with the following criteria: a) a minimum population of 5,000; b) at least 75 per cent of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and c) a density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. km. Rural areas are distinguished based on these standards, defining what is rural as not being urban. The terms "rural" and "rural society" are sometimes used interchangeably with concepts such as "villages," "countryside," or "folk society," among others. Instead of using the terms rural or countryside, sociology and social anthropology in the mainstream frequently refer to the rural society as a village.

Understanding the Concept of Rurality

The concept of rurality refers to the way of life of rural residents, which is typically in contrast to urban way of life, unlike the concept of rural, which is defined based on the demographic scientific arbitrary Census criteria. In contrast to urbanity, the term "rurality" describes a region that exhibits characteristics of being rural in terms of its population and geographic location. It is also related with a set of values and a culture that are unique to the rural environment. In contrast to rurality, which is said to allude to the rusticity of their socio-cultural life style, belief system, values, conventions, etc., urbanity is thought to refer to sophisticated positive cultural attributes (civility, politeness, courtesy, etc.). According to sociologists, rurality, also known as rural society, is a small society with a lower population density and dwelling areas that are concentrated in close-knit village communities. It is characterised by traditional customs and folkways that define social status and occupational pursuits, particularly agrarian and related activities. Rurality and the idea of the rural are two sides of the same coin. However, this does not give a clear definition or concept of rural areas or rurality. However, grasping the concept of rural would be lacking without knowing the scientific and specific sense of the word.

Definition of Rural and Village

To suit particular purposes and functions, the term "rural" is defined in several ways in official records. In India, the Census of India specifies the Tax Village as the fundamental unit for rural society. The term "rural" is defined in terms of population size and revenue collection, initially during the colonial time and continuing in the present. Similar to how a rural community is defined by the US Bureau of the Census, a rural community includes all people, dwellings, and territory that is not part of an urban region. These are arbitrary descriptions of rural communities, and more scientific research is necessary. Rural in India is mostly connected with the village(s), hence the Revenue Village, which has clearly defined surveyed limits, is the basic unit of rural region. The revenue village may have many hamlets, but for the sake of presenting census statistics, the entire village has been considered as a single entity. Each habitation area with locally recognised boundaries within each forest range officer's beat was classified as one unit in unsurveyed areas, such as settlements within forest areas. In India, the revenue village evolved into the fundamental unit of government in the form of the present-day Village Panchayats.

India has a significant number of villages worldwide. As a result, Mahatma Gandhi is frequently associated with the nation, which is sometimes referred to as a "nation of villages". India has 6, 40,867 villages, according to the 2011 Census. Additionally, of the 1,210,726,932 (1.2 billion) people in India, 68.84% (83.30 crore) live in rural areas, with just 31.16% (37.7 crore) living in urban areas. However, Indian villages vary greatly in size, with 3,976 villages having a population of more than 10,000 and 2, 36,004 villages having fewer than 500 residents. More than three-fourths of the population in these villages, which range in size from 500 to 10,000 people, depend on agriculture and related activities for their primary source of income.

Overview of Rural Society in India

Since ancient times, even as far back as the early Stone Age, rural culture has always been inextricably linked to the village. It was commonly believed that all of the early settlements were fundamentally rural in nature. The terms "rural society" and "rural community" are frequently used synonymously when discussing individuals, social groupings, institutions, associations, communities, agriculture, and the natural environment, among other things. Therefore, a simple definition of a rural society is a group of people that reside in a specific geographic area, rely heavily on the environment, share similar interests, and lead similar lifestyles. The most straightforward comparison to a live "organism" can help you understand rural society. The various parts of an organism are intrinsically woven together and work as a unit to support its function. As per as definition of the rural society, sociologist A.W. Green’s definition considers as lucid and expresses in the following lines: “A rural community is a cluster of people living within a narrow territorial radius who share a common way of life” (Green, A. W. 1956). 

Brief Note on Caste System in India

Caste and class are two major types of social stratification that exist in the society. The caste system is static in nature and is based on the values that people are given as a result of their unintended birth and employment. On the other hand, class stratification, which is based on economic divisions, is dynamic and ever-changing in nature. Caste is a system that only exists in the Indian subcontinent. For instance, it is uncommon in all other societies. Up until recently, South Africa strictly segregated blacks and whites based on skin colour. In other words, it was against the law for people of different races to associate socially. The Rig-Veda period is when the caste system first emerged. The word Varna (colour) is mentioned in the Rig Veda. The Hindi words varna and jati have an English equivalent called caste. Additionally, according to Antony Gidden's (1989) citation, the word "caste" is derived from the Portuguese word "castas," which means "race," "breed," or "different." In the context of India, caste stands for social interaction patterns.

In India, the caste system has a significant impact on social life in a number of ways by granting people a status based only on their birth. It imposes constraints on specific caste groups with relation to diet patterns (eating, drinking), marital customs, profession preferences, and social interactions. It is believed to work as a regulatory force for human behaviour and habits. In other words, the caste system separates society into exogamous and endogamous groups, with position determined by birth. Marriage laws in Indian society are determined by the high and low birth statuses in the varna order of the caste structure. In India, there are between 2000 and 3000 jatis, which are frequently regarded as subsets of varna or subcastes. However, Jatis adhere to a highly complex phenomenon in the caste system and hold fast to a strict set of social norms that are endogamous in character (Jeaneane, 1997, Jayapalan, 2001). The caste system and their social and cultural structure were closely related to rurality and the countryside.

Tribes in India 

Extended hierarchical social structures, such as the caste system, are a sort of tribal culture and system in India. India is one of the nations with the second-highest concentration of tribal people worldwide. The top spot is held by African nations. An essential component of the social structure and fabric of India is the tribal community. The earliest communities are tribes. According to legend, India's first settlers and residents were the tribal people. However, some of these communities are still considered to be in their infancy and are frequently referred to as primitive tribes, advasis, aborigines, or girijans, among other terms. In contrast to caste social groupings, tribal social groups in India enjoy a clear advantage. Surprisingly, caste social groups were more frequently subject to discrimination and restrictions on social interaction than tribal social groups. Recent Census 2011 enumerates the total 705 ST communities, constituting population of more than 104 million (10, 42,81,034) persons, constituting 8.6% out of total 1.21 billion people of India. The term ‘tribes’ in the Indian context today are referred as ‘Scheduled Tribes’, that is constitutional terminology evolved over a period of time and largely used for administrative purpose. The scheduled tribes constitute the second largest group in India as backward and disadvantage social groups next to the deprived section of Scheduled Caste whose share of population accounts 16.6 % with the estimated population of more than 200 million (201,378,086).These communities are regarded as the earliest among the present inhabitants of India. It was believed that they have survived here with their unchanging ways of life for centuries. Many of the tribal groups are still in a primitive stage and far from the impact of modern civilization. The term scheduled tribe has become explains various ways—to the ordinary people the word suggests aborigines who live in hills and forests, to administrators it means a group of citizens those who have some privileges supported by constitution, to an anthropologist it indicates a special field for study of a social phenomenon.

For instance, Verrier Elwin (1902–1964), Herbert Hope Risley (1851–1911), and other British colonial administrators used the term "aboriginals" to refer to tribal people. A British census official named Sir Bains referred to the tribal group as "the hill tribes." Hutton like the phrase "primitive tribes." The term "Girijan" gained popularity thanks to Mahatma Gandhi. The phrase "Scheduled Tribes," which was originally used by the Simon Commission in 1928 and later used in the Government of India Act 1935, has been accepted for use in the Indian constitution. Tribes may also go by the names "Vanavasis," "Aranyavasis," etc. However, the Constitution has no definition of the word tribe. However, the Lokur Committee Report 1965 (Advisory Committee on the Revision of the Lists of Scheduled Castes and Tribes) and First Backward Classes Commission headed by Kalelkar's recommendations for the criteria for identifying tribes were followed by the government of India (1955). Tribes are distinguished by their primitive characteristics, different cultures, geographic isolation, reluctance to interact with outsiders, and overall backwardness (Xaxa Committee, 2014, Hooja, 2004). However, Scheduled Tribes are defined in Article 366 (25) of the Constitution as tribes, tribal communities, or portions of such tribes or communities that the Indian President may identify by public proclamation under Article 342 . Though Indian sociology and social anthropology scholars assert that the aforementioned five point criteria is now established for identifying tribes, the Constitution of India does not exclusively provide a precise description of tribes (Xaxa Committee, 2014). However, even in anthropology, the definition of tribes has limitations. According to Andre Beteille (1969), the following restrictions exist: a) There is no distinct political barrier; rather, in some cases, the borders of various states overlap across the tribal division. linguistic boundaries have also been slowly shifting. B) The tribe's cultural boundaries are not clearly defined. Numerous aspects of the regional cultures remain the same. It cannot be rigidly categorised as distinctive. d) The homogeneous tribal society is practically gone. Some tribes have shown signs of stratification, and homogeneity within the tribe cannot be referred to as a distinctive trait of the tribe. And the list goes on. Similar to the social and cultural norms of caste social groupings, tribal social and cultural characteristics, as well as a variety of traditional customs, were connected to rurality, which is clearly distinguished from urban society and urban culture.

Summary

This blog discusses rural and rurality in Indian society, which are clearly distinct from urban culture and urban life. The module also includes a brief introduction of Indian society's social structure, including an explanation of the caste and tribe systems and their associated features and characteristics for comprehending the concepts of rurality and rurality.

Reference

  1. A.W. Green. 1956. Sociology, New York: Mc Grow-Hlll 2nd edn 1956. 
  2. Bayly, Susan. 2001. Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 
  3. Beteille, A. 1980. The Indian Village: Past and Present, in E.J. Hobsbawm et. al. (eds.). Peasants in History: Essays in Honour of Daniel Thorner, Calcutta: OUP. 
  4. Beteille, Andre.1965.Caste, Class and Power, Bombay: Oxford University Press, 
  5. Desai, A R.1969. Rural Sociology in India, Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 
  6. Dumont, L. 1980. Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and Its Implications. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

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