‘Read together, both the books depict many aspects of socio-cultural change in rural and urban India which we may not pay attention to in our daily lives in the third decade of 21st century’. Photo Credit: AP
Academic studies of social change in India have, by and large, followed the ideological guidance of modernization theory. It focuses on the profound effects of technological change, social and political movements, and increased participation in the modern economy and education. Indian sociology has produced several classics that provide useful insights to university level students. Parallel documentation of social change was attempted by journalists, who traveled and learned from their brief interactions with ordinary people how major changes in economy, technology, and politics were affecting their lives. Journalism itself is a major part of the history of modern India. Although journalists now face new kinds of difficulties in practicing their profession, they bring news about life that academic inquiry cannot present because of its methodological constraints.
Tracking change in rural and urban India
Two books written by journalists are prominent in mapping social change in the last half century. One is Kusum Nair’s Blossoms in the Dust: The Human Factor in Indian Development. First published in 1965, it is based on Nair’s travels to villages in 14 states. Snigdha Poonam’s second book, Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World, documents her travels and sojourns in provincial cities across eight north Indian states. It was published in 2018. Read together, both the books show many aspects of socio-cultural change in rural and urban India which we cannot see in our daily lives in the third decade of 21st century.
When Kusum Nair was writing her book, the big question facing political leaders and intellectuals was how to deal with rural poverty. The memory of Gandhi’s thoughts and his vision of India as a society that cared for rural civilization was still fresh. Nair wanted to know how villagers in different parts of the country were responding to the state’s efforts to help them through economic and social planning. How to change the established norms of beliefs and behavior was considered a major challenge. ‘Community development’ programs focused on improving people’s access to new knowledge about sanitation and hygiene, irrigation and fertiliser. The Green Revolution was a decade away. Emphasis was laid on using the available resources and information in the best possible way. Nair was looking for signs of change in old attitudes and ways of living. They found such evidence in each region, but in varying degrees. In some parts, there were ‘flowers in the dust’; In others, there was movement, but also a lot of built-in resistance that looked like inertia. He paints a gently moving portrait of a highly diverse nation, literally at a turning point – that is, before India faced Chinese aggression. When we read Nair’s book today, it evokes nostalgia of an era when the ‘human element’ was given priority in the vision of development. Complications and compulsions arose long ago.
new landscape
The social scenario depicted by Snigdha Poonam in her book is complex in every sense. As you begin to read the account of his slow, patient journey through the provincial towns of northern India, you are struck by the paradoxical reality of youth from the non-elite strata. They feel frustrated, but are ready to fight for themselves. The author says that they are ‘dissatisfied, dishonorable, invincible’. These three words capture the complex fabric of entrepreneurial spirit displayed in every sector. There are no social or moral barriers to their pursuit of wealth and power. They see abundant examples of the benefits that come from this carefree approach to success. With little patience for moral choices, he believes in doing whatever works best. Therefore, any venture looks just fine. Coaching, setting up deals and moving files are all ways to generate a living. But the magic of the call center trumps everything else.
It’s demanding work, though not exactly social. Creating spam, disinformation, disinformation, and fraud is all part of the game for success. In the face of circumstances that any observer would declare impossible, the youth Snigdha Poonam meets are moving forward without hesitation. Some opt for politics and meet with abject failure despite full commitment to the democratic approach. Unlike Kusum Nair, Snigdha Poonam maintains a steadfast objectivity in her long account. Despite her openness and neutrality, she cannot help but pronounce her verdict. At the end of her book, she says that many of the young people she met do not have a sharp dichotomy between right and wrong.
decoding the change
Read together, both the books convey the broad currents of an acquisitive culture that has ruthlessly shaken up old beliefs and values. Many eminent sociologists have tried to understand India’s engagement with modernity, and have traced the many paths along which social change has taken place. Many of these illustrations are based on price changes, but some discuss the loss of prices. Perhaps one can understand why this topic is not given much attention. Changes in values are a part of broader economic and political processes. It also reflects demographic change, most significantly the growth of urbanized communities, often at the expense of rural communities. The rural-urban distinction is not easy to maintain or explain, and technological distinctions serve little other than official purposes. What we learn from Kusum Nair’s epic journey through rural India in the 20th century is that the village was the seat of belonging. It served as a memory to live by and an inspirational memory for many.
Reading Snigdha Poonam’s reflective memoir of encounters with provincial youth years ago, one senses the erosion of the moral fabric that belongs to a village. Some of the young men and women she meets live in sizable villages, but their social structures are those of a chaotic, competitive world. He is right in giving us the feeling that his interlocutors know what they have to do with their lives. The subtext of his long travelogue is inevitable. Economic and social change has lost the centrality of meaningful education and work. If the educated imagination and employment potential are not included in the development of markets and infrastructure, the social ethos may not sustain the norms and morals that were once valued.
Krishna Kumar is the former director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). His upcoming book is ‘Thank You, Gandhi’