INDIAN RURAL SOCIETY

Important characteristics of Indian Rural Society

Reddy (1985) has stated the following as the characteristic of Indian Rural Society.

1. The village is the unit of the rural society. Its people carry on the business of living

together within a distinctive framework of caste and social custom. Caste is a

dominant social institution permeating social and economic relations. Traditional

caste occupation mostly prevails. Co-operative labour of different castes is required

not only for agro-economic activities but also for socio-religious life. The large

villages have within its population all the occupational castes, have a comparatively

more integrated and self sufficient economic as well as socio-religious life than

smaller villages.

2. The village as a social and cultural unit possesses a basically uniform organisation

and structure of values all over India. Many problems are common to the entire Indian

country side.

3. The ethnic, linguistic, religious and caste composition of a village largely determine

its character and structure. Some villages of hamlets are inhabited almost exclusively

by certain castes as in the case of Agraharams for Brahmins. Even in a village with

mixed population the different castes usually live in different sections of the same

village. Inter caste rivalries are present.

4. Women do not have full equality with men in several aspects of life.

5. Indian rural society is predominantly based on agriculture. Possession of land carries

with it social and prestige value, besides being considered as an economic asset. In

many villages, the land is mostly distributed between two or more castes, or among a

few families, or between one big land owner and the rest of the community. Landless

labourers and tenants constitute a considerable part of the population depending on

agriculture.

6. Every village has its own organisational set up, authority and sanctions. It has its

growing body, the panchayat, based on local tradition since long, but now constituted

on a regular basis according to provisions of Panchayat Raj.

7. Social distance or isolation has a bearing on the nature of the organisation of a village

and of its view on the world. Availability of or nearness to modern means of transport

or communications also modifies the setting and fabric of a village.

8. Village settlements are generally governed by certain regional and local traditions.

The layout of the village, construction of the house, the dress, the speech, and

manners follow the set pattern of the cultural area. Each village possesses an

individual of its own. Some have a reputation for generosity, hospitality and fair play,

while others are notorious for their meanness and corruption. Some villages are kown

for their co-operatives, while some are noted for their litigations and factions.

The important characteristics of the Indian villager was summarised by Reddy (1985)

as hospitality, feminist traditionalism, fatalism, religiousness often combined with

superstitious beliefs, leisure attitude to life, and low standard of living. Nevertheless most

villagers are capable to change and will respond to the teachers whom they trust even though

their past sad experiences make them conservation and hopelessness about the future. They

are eager to learn how to help themselves and they represent paternalism.

Source: open sources