K. Ishwaran - Shivapur: A South Indian Village

SHIVAPUR A SOUTH INDLAN VILLAGE

THE SOCIOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT
In 18 Volumes

by

K. ISHWARAN

First published in 1968
by Routledge

Reprinted in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002
by Routledge
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or
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First issued in paperback 2010

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

1968 K. Ishwaran

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library

Shivapur: A South Indian Village
ISBN 978-0-415-17581-4 (hbk)
ISBN 978-0-415-60552-6 (pbk)
The Sociology of Development: 18 Volumes
ISBN 978-0-415-17822-8
The International Library of Sociology: 274 Volumes
ISBN 978-0-415-17838-9

Publishers Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent

INDIAS VILLAGES may be classified according to size, land distribution, economy, caste and religion. There are small, medium and large-sized villages; there are villages where land is owned by the cultivators, in others it is largely owned by village landlords, and in others again absentee landlordism is the norm. The economy may be built around one occupation, or it may represent several. Members of the village may all belong to one caste (in exceptional circumstances) or to many; it may be religiously homogeneous or heterogeneous.

In all of Indias villages, however, there are certain uniform characteristics. Chief among these are the influences of Hinduism, in particular of caste and the concepts of Dharma and Karma. Also, in recent years, particularly since independence, a number of levelling forces have been operative. Absentee landlordism is almost extinct. The land tenure of tenants is becoming increasingly secure. Villages are now uniformly administered by statutory Panchayats (village councils) elected by universal franchise, with reserved seats for women and depressed minorities. Schools, hospitals and co-operative societies are to be found at least in the vicinity of almost every village. Every district in every state of the union has a functioning community development programme. For the first time, communication has been vastly accelerated through press and radio, and roads and railroads for public and private transportation. Statute law is slowly but surely replacing customary law. Illiteracy is being steadily reduced.

In Mysore State, there are three kinds of village, broadly speaking: tribal camp (Tande), farming hamlet (Hatti) and village (Halli). Shivapur is a medium-sized village. Three-fourths of its land is owned by village residents, and most farmers own at least some of the land they work. It has a mixed economy, being composed of farmers, artisans of many kinds and labourers. Farming is mainly general, but is becoming increasingly specialized.

Like most villages in India, Shivapur is a multi-caste village. Its 3,809 inhabitants are divided into 13 castes which are again sub-divided into 40 sub-castes. Again like most villages in India, there are five religions represented: Hinduism, Jainism, Lingayatism, Marathaism and Mohammedanism. The Government of India considers Lingayatism and Marathaism as Hinduism, but the adherents of the groups claim themselves to be separate religious denominations. Each of them may be usefully thought of as a caste, and each of them is divided into sub-castes, some of which are further divided into sub-sub-castes.

Shivapur is representative of Indias villages not only in its size, land distribution, economy and caste and religious composition, but also in the degree to which it has been influenced by classical Hinduism and the levelling forces stemming from policies of the federal government. It is thus plausible to hypothesize that what is typical of Shivapur is typical of village India, although, of course, cumulative evidence is necessary to prove this.

In pre-British India, during British ascendancy, and in an accelerated fashion in modern India, two major trends have characterized the development of the nation: modernization and secularization. These trends can be traced in the sacred texts (Dharmashastras) of the past, and should not be regarded as something new on the face of the earth. India has not been a rigid, slumbering giant. Compared with other societies, it has been amazingly stable, to be sure. But it has been characterized by repeated reform movements and efforts on the part of the literati and native intelligentsia to update the society. The process of secularization has been no less evident, as is to be readily seen in the extent to which, in the course of time, the Brahman caste, originally intended to be a selfless group of advisers and spiritual leaders, has become involved in farming, business and politics.