Village
community, family and caste are the basic components of the rural social
structure and they bind the economic and social life of people in rural areas.
In order to understand this social structure, it is necessary to understand the
nature of society. Each society consists of different parts, such as individuals,
groups, institutions, associations, and communities. The simplest analogy
one can think of at this point is that of an organism that has different
components working together as a whole. Society is a system like any other
system, such as the solar system, the chemical system, a mechanical system or
an organic system. Of these the most suitable analogy for elaborating the
concept of society is that of an organism. This is usually known as the ‘organic
analogy’.
We are
perhaps aware that the basic unit of an organism is the cell; similarly the
basic unit of a society is the individual. As cells combine, a tissue is
formed. In the same way, an individual exists in relationship with other
individuals. A collection of individuals is called a group, and the smallest
group comprises two individuals; it is known as the dyad. In an organism, the
tissues aggregate and the resultant entity is an organ. In the case of human
society, like the individual, no group exists in isolation.
The
collectivity of the groups is termed the community. In an organism, the organs
combine to form the organism, which is the whole. In a similar fashion, the
aggregation of several communities makes the whole called society.
Here the
main question what is social structure?
As per study
the Sociologists use the word ‘social structure’ refers to the inter-relationship,
inter-connectedness, and inter-dependence of the different parts of
society. In terms of their form, all societies have the same parts. Thus, there
are groups and communities in all societies, but the nature and substance of
these groups and communities differ from one society to another. For instance,
an Indian village is unthinkable without the caste system, while a Chinese
village does not have castes. Its units are the people of different families
and occupational groups. The sense of identity that the people of different
groups have is also seen at the level of the people of different families and
occupational groups in Chinese villages. The inter-relationship of the
different units constitutes the structure of the society.
All the
units of a society are supposed to be important, for each one of them makes a
contribution to the functioning of society. In other words, none of them can be
dispensed with. But, in each society, some of its elements are regarded as
crucial, because the society is structured around them. Sociologists think that
for defining an Indian village, its population, physical structure, and modes
of production are definitely important. Usually, a village has less than
five thousand individuals. As a physical entity, it is an aggregation of
houses of mixed architecture (some of mud and thatch and some of cement) in the
midst of surrounding agricultural fields—the mainstay of village life is
agriculture. Of course, there may be some exceptions to the image of village
that is presented here: for instance, a village may have more than ten
thousand people, as is the case in Kerala. Or, the village may be a
conglomeration of beautifully built cement houses inhabited by people who may
predominantly be in service or may be self-employed non-agriculturalists, as is
the case in a number of villages situated near towns and cities in Himachal
Pradesh.
In addition
to these indices, sociologists think that the social structure of an Indian
village is understood best in terms of the interrelationship of different
castes, as a common proposition is that the caste system has weakened in urban
areas, but not in the rural areas, where even the members of non-Hindu
communities, which have opposed the caste system, have continued to be treated
as ‘castes’.
The Indian
rural society has undergone considerable change in the recent past,
particularly since the Independence as a result of a series of the land
reform legislations that have accelerated the pace of this change. This
explains why the changing agrarian relations constitute one of the basic
intellectual concerns of social scientists, including Sociologists in India.
The present survey of the agrarian social structure and class relations in two
villages of Jalpaiguri district is an attempt to deepen our
understanding of the complex agrarian social reality and change in India. It is
a comparative survey of two villages – one from the ‘subsistence’
and the other from the ‘plantation’ setting in Jalpaiguri district of
West Bengal. Jalpaiguri has certain distinctive features which set it apart
from other districts. The most important of these features is the coexistence
of plantation (sector of large-scale capitalist agriculture) and subsistence
(sector of predominantly subsistence oriented agriculture) economies.
A society is
a collection of people who are sufficiently organised to create conditions
necessary to live together with a common identification. It is an organised
network of social interactions and patterned behaviour. Every society has its
own identity based on the nature of its social institutions. India has a rich cultural heritage and is a
land of diversities. The diversity in
social life is reflected in multi-social, multi-lingual, multi-religious and
multi-caste nature of the society. The important features of the Indian social
structure are: predominant rural habitation in small villages; multi-religious
and multi-caste social identities and important role of family in the social
life. We shall have a detailed
discussion on these institutions and their impact on administration in the
following sections.
Rural
habitation
India is a
land of villages. A great majority of villages are small with only around five
hundred populations each. Mahatma
Gandhi’s view that India lives in villages still holds good, at least from
the demographic point of view. The village social life has its own peculiar
characteristics. Stanley J. Heginbotham, in his book, Cultures in Conflict,
(1975) discusses in detail the nature of village life and its influence on the
nature of bureaucracy. The village
social life norms strengthen the authoritarian and hierarchical norms in administration.
The village social life, which is based on the hierarchical exchange relations
greatly influence the behaviour of civil servants in public organisations. The
differences in the social background of majority of citizens who are poor,
illiterate, rural based, and tradition bound and that of majority of civil
servants, who are urban, middle class and well educated results in
conflicts and contradiction in
the interests and values of citizens and civil servants.
The rural
base of Indian society has many implications for the development
administration. Many studies have
indicated urban bias in the behaviour of administrators. This results in a
cultural gap between the administration and rural people. For administration to
be effective, it must appreciate and respond to the socio-cultural ethos of the
rural population.
Religion
Historically,
India has been hospitable to numerous groups of immigrants from different
parts of
Asia and Europe,
People of all religions have
been living in India for
many centuries. The Constitution declares India to be a secular state.
The State is expected to treat all the religions equally. The Constitution also
gives protection to minorities. The Constitution recognizes religion as a fundamental
right and a citizen can pursue the religion of his choice.
However, in
reality, communalism is one of the major threats to the unity and the integrity
of the country. In recent years, the
communal organisations have become very active in social life resulting in
communal clashes in different parts of the country. Some vested interests are using religion for
their selfish purposes and are fanning hatred among the communities. The comrslunal
disharmony tests the strength of the administration in maintaining law and
order and social harmony among the religious groups.
Administration
has to check disruptive communal activities and maintain social and political
stability. Unfortunately, in recent years we also hear the allegations of
divisions in the civil services based on communal factors. The role played by
some state police forces during the communal disturbances in some parts of the
country brings no credit for the state police administration. The political
necessity of appeasing each religious section may result in sacrificing
rationality in administration.
Caste in
Villages
A village
may be conceptualized as an aggregate of castes, each traditionally associated
with an occupation. Members of a caste are generally clustered together,
occupying a particular physical space in the village, which may come to be
known after the name of the caste like dhobîbârâ (i.e. the settlement
of the laundrymen), jâton ka gudâ (i.e. the habitation of the
Jats) or raikon rî dhânî (i.e. the hamlet of the Raikas).
Each caste has its own style of living, its own types of clothes, its own
distinct pattern of houses, and mutually acceptable common grounds for existence.
It also has its distinct dialect, folk deities, lore, and ceremonies.
The members of a caste are spread over a region in more than one village. The
members of a caste living in nearby villages have matrimonial relations among
them. Each caste has its own council (panchayat), which is a collective
body of the members of that caste living in different villages, but situated
close to each other. This body takes up all disputes between the members of the
caste and discusses all instances where the identity of the caste is abrogated
and is in danger. Thus, for political purposes, social control and matrimony,
the members of a caste in a village are dependent upon their co-caste fellows
in other villages. These relations result in the unity of the members of a
caste spread in different villages. M.N. Srinivas has called this type
of unity ‘horizontal solidarity’.
The Hindu
society is knpwn for its varna and caste system. The society is broadly divided into four
orders or varnas on ‘functional’ basis, namely, Brahmana (traditional
priest and scholar), Kshatriya (ruler and soldier), Vaisya
(merchant) and Shudra (peasant, labourer and servant). The scheduled castes are outside
the varna scheme. Each varna may be
divided into different horizontal strata, and each strata is known as
caste. The caste system creates:-
a.
segmental
division of society
b.
hierarchy
c.
restrictions
on social interactions,
d.
civic and
religious disparities and privileges of different sections
e.
restriction
on choice of occupation, and
f.
restriction on marriage.
Though caste is essentially a Hindi
institution, some elements of caste are found in every religious group in
India. The caste system based on birth created divisions in the society and
contributed to the social and economic inequalities. A section of people were treated as
untouchables Socio-Cultural Factors and they were exploited by upper castes in
the society and Administration.
In recent
years, we find some change in the nature and the role of the caste system. The role
of the caste is changing. We find that
the influence of caste in interpersonal and social relationships is
decreasing but paradoxically
its role in
political process is increasing. The caste is being
increasingly used for political mobilisation. This has an adverse effect on the
working of political and administrative institutions. Formation
of informal groups on
caste lines among
the public services is
anober developing phenomena. This affects the homogeneity of the public
services.
Realising
the existence of inegalitarian social system, the Constitution has provided for
preferential treatment to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward
classes in public services. In recent
years, we find many agitations for and against the reservations in public
services. Paradoxically, it is found that the preferential treatment system
designed to bring equality is a cause of the internal tensions in the public
organisations.
In a social
situation of primordial loyalties, the administrative institutions based on
universalistic principles are subjected to a lot of stress and strain. The
administrator must understand the dynamics of caste loyalties and caste
sensibilities to play the role of an effective change agent
Family
The joint
family was considered as one of the three pillars of Indian social
structure, the other two being the caste and the village
community. Family is an important social unit and in country like India,
the family loyalties are very strong. Traditionally, in India the joint family
system played an important role as a social and economic institution. The
social norms expect the subordination of individual interests to that of
family. However, in recent years the joint family system is giving way to the
nuclear family system. Still the emotional ties of extended family continue to
play an important role in the social life. Patriarchy dominates the family
life. The head of the family is usually
the father or the eldest male member.
Women generally occupy a subordinate position.
The
structure and operation of family has many implications on administrative
system. The paternalistic and authoritarian structure of the family life is
partly responsible for the paternalistic and authoritarian behavioural
orientations of the administrators. The socialization process in the family
influences the attitude formation of the administrators. The family loyalties
may also result in sacrifice of values like impartiality, integrity and universality
in administration. Many administrators may feel it natural to help their family
members by using their administrative positions. Many studies have pointed out
the presence of family orientation of helping ones relatives in administration.
On the basis
of above we may say that the Indian rural social structure are mix up of
traditions, which required more and more awareness for which the role of formal
and informal education are more effective to arise an awareness among rural
people.
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