DESCRIBE IMPORTANT FEATURES OF INDIAN RURAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE

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.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post