The concept of self-sufficient village society and its features .
The concept of self-sufficient village society and its features .
What is self-sufficient village society? What are the features of self-sufficient village society?
Different views on self-sufficient rural society.
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Self-sufficient village society :-
Self-sufficient in a limited sense || There is a wide difference of opinion among sociologists and historians regarding the nature of the rural economy of pre-British India. A group of thinkers is in favor of calling contemporary Indian society and economy self-sufficient. And a group of sociologists and historians oppose this idea. Calling rural society and economy self-sufficient means demonstrating self-reliance. There is a collective mentality among the people living in self-sufficient villages. The residents of such villages get all the necessary things for living within the village. Because everything necessary for living is produced within the village. Therefore, there is generally no need to depend on anything outside the village to fulfill the basic needs of life. In fact, this is the limited meaning of rural self-sufficiency or self-reliance.
Proponents of self-sufficiency:-
It is necessary to be properly informed about the two opposing views on whether it is appropriate to call the rural society and economy of pre-British India self-sufficient in nature. The statements of all the sociologists who are in favor of calling the contemporary rural society and economy self-sufficient can be analyzed. Among the historians and sociologists of this class, the names of Rajni Pam Dutta, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Professor A. R. Desai, K. M. Asraf, Ramakrishna Mukhopadhyay and others are particularly noteworthy.
According to the opinion of this class of sociologists, pre-British Indian society and economy were stagnant and motionless in nature. Historians and politicians of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are mainly known as proponents of this view.
Sociologist H.S.Main has defined rural society as an organized and autonomous family group. This group has joint ownership over a certain area of land.
Those historians and thinkers who have described the rural society and economy of pre-British India as self-sufficient have drawn attention to some features of contemporary rural society. A brief mention of these features is necessary.
Features of self - sufficient village society :-
[1] Isolated existence -
The villages of contemporary India were isolated. According to Professor A. R. Desai, these villages were self-sufficient and completely independent from the outside world. This isolated existence and independence of the villages continued for a long time; there was no socio-economic connection with the outside society. That is, in socio-economic terms, each village was a separate unit.
[2] Collective ownership of land -
According to the Marxist thesis, in contemporary Indian rural society, collective ownership of land was recognized. There was no private ownership of land.
[3] Static and immobile nature -
According to the Marxist thesis, contemporary Indian rural society was static and immobile; there was no social mobility. Because the villages were completely isolated. Each village was limited within its own location.
[4] Agriculture and production-
In pre-British rural society, there was an integration of agricultural and technical production. That is, there was a unity between agriculture and handicrafts. There was no social or economic gap between the agricultural and technical production systems. According to the relevant Marxist thesis, due to the integration of agriculture and handicrafts, the contemporary small rural society was completely self-sufficient.
[5] Absence of division of labor-
In contemporary rural society, there was no socio-economic gap between agricultural and technical production. Agriculture and industry were dependent on each other. Naturally, labor was employed jointly. That is, there was a lack of division of labor or there was a lack of development of division of labor.
[6] Lack of capital accumulation-
There was technological backwardness in agriculture and technical industries. The possibility of surplus wealth was low. Because there was an outflow of wealth. Therefore, there were obstacles in the accumulation of capital.
[7] Presence of caste system in economy and production-
In contemporary India, the profession was hereditary. According to the caste system, the profession of individuals in rural society was determined by birth. For this reason, an immutable system of division of labor was developed based on the caste system.
[8] Immutable market -
The market of the rural society of pre-British India was immutable.
[9] Nature of production-
In contemporary rural society, the production system was controlled and operated in terms of local demand.
Self-sufficient rural society - According to the English rulers -
Many English administrators have expressed their empirical opinions about the rural society of pre-British India. In this context, the names of British rulers like Ibbetson, Elphinstone, Charles Metcalfe, Denzil can be mentioned. According to their opinion, contemporary rural societies were characterized as small republics. Almost all the characteristics of a small state were present in contemporary rural societies. Rural societies were self-sufficient.
Professor Desai on self-sufficient rural society -
A major proponent of a self-sufficient rural society and economy is Professor Desai. According to Professor Desai, the rural society and economy of pre-British India were basically self-sufficient or self-reliant. However, he also admitted some minor exceptions in this regard. With few exceptions, contemporary self-sufficient rural societies continued their self-sufficient existence for a long time.
Professor Dube on self-sufficient rural society -
Professor Dube did not accept or support the idea that pre-British Indian rural society was completely self-sufficient and had no contact with or dependence on the outside world. According to his opinion, contemporary Indian rural society had to depend on the world outside the village in some cases. At that time, there was commercial exchange between villages for some commodities. There was commercial exchange between villages for salt, spices, metal products, raw materials for technical industries, etc.
Connections were created between different villages in the contemporary period due to marriage and other needs. For this reason, according to Professor Dube, it is inappropriate to portray pre-British Indian villages as small self-sufficient republics. According to him, the inter-village panchayat system was created during this period.
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