THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY August 15, 1953 A Bengal Village Shrimati Jyotirmoyee Sarma This is the twelfth in the series of Village Studies, It is based on fast-hand study of a village, the location of which has been indicated though its name has been withheld for obvious reasons. The author belongs to Bengal but was educated in the United Stairs from school onwards and took her PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago. She worked on tace relations in the States and has published a paper on the Bengali joint household. She did field work in the village about which she writes early this year in the winter months.- Ed. NLY a short distance from the houses and the fields are inter­ One may have some plots in the Ocity of Calcutta the face of the spersed and houses cluster on the potato fields, some in the paddy land of Bengal changes, and one higher lands. fields, sonic on one side of the village finds oneself in a country dotted with The village has 324 residences. and some on another. Lentils are villages and with a few big towns Of these, only five are brick houses, also grown in quantities sufficient in between. Although the inhabi­ belonging to families who were tor the villagers' own consumption. tants of these villages maintain con­ affluent in the past. The remainder Vegetables in season are also culti­ tact with the city, the contact is of are clay structures thatched with vated. The crops are grown in the a limited type, and village life for straw. Many of these owned by the following time order. In April jute most part is undisturbed by city in­ upper class have cement floors and is sown. In May paddy seedlings fluences and retains its stability and whitewashed walls. The usual plan are raised and in June, the seedlings self-sufficiency as much as modern of a house is to have several struc­ are transplanted. In September economic influences will allow. tures built around a square court­ Jute is cut and sold. In October The village we speak of lies thirty yard with a high wall all around. potatoes are planted, and they are miles from the railroad station of Each separate structure is one dug out and sold in March. In Howrah in the district of Hooghly. room. In a joint household, one December paddy is cut, and it is It is at a short distance from the room is made available to each threshed and separated from the temples of Tarakeshwara, and local married member and additional stalks also in March. Later on, rice- trains running on the small line will rooms may be built within the is husked by the women within take one there from Calcutta in two courtyard or outside the walls. each house. hours. The village covers about When a house is partitioned among Fruit trees of all types native to two square miles. The greater part different units of a joint family, the area, such as mango, bel, jam- of the residential section lies on the the members claim the rooms they rul, kal, guava, banana, papaya, eastern side of the rail lines, while have already been occupying with etc. abound in the village, and sup­ the western side contains mostly a part of the courtyard, and sepa­ ply the residents with fresh fruits agricultural fields and the Kayastrja rate structures may he put up for in season. Ponds are maintained and the Dhoba settlements. The kitchens. for growing fish as well as for bath­ river Kaushiki runs through a part Among the people of smaller ing and washing. Bamboo clusters of the village. It is only a dry means, and usually among the are a familiar sight in this area. stream in the winter but acquires a lower castes, the courtyards are Not only is bamboo necessary for considerable body of water during smaller and the number of rooms the loots of the clay structures but the rains. 'The village with its fields today it also brings a good price in fewer. The, rooms are also smaller sprawls about and has no particu­ the city markets. lar geometric shape. The boun­ in size. These dwellings usually daries between villages are the broad accommodate individual family SHARE CROPPING aals (raised, thin strip of land se­ units and not joint households. The upper class of people have parating the fields), river or road. Naturally the lower caste houses their land cultivated on the share The distinction of one village from tan be distinguished from the others system. The owner of the land sup­ another is mainly a matter of tradi­ in general appearance. plies seed and manure, while the tion, and today it is given formal cultivator supplies the plough and recognition in the governing body PATTERN OF CULTIVATION bullocks, and the crop is shared half of the Union Board. All the villagers are placed on and half. If one wants the entire the cultivation of land. Rice is produce, the cultivators are paid a LOCATION OF HOUSES NOT UNIFORM the basic crop grown and is used en­ daily wage. Similarly, with the Within the village, members of tirely for consumption. The major­ fish ponds, the owners lease the each of the castes live together in ity of the people have to buy rice in ponds to the fishermen for a period separate neighbourhoods, and these addition to what they grow. This of time and the latter look after the areas are called by the names of buying is usually from outside ponds and the fish. Whenever the the castes living in them. However, sources. Potato and jute are grown owner of the pond has need of fish, there is no uniform rule about this, as cash crops and provide ready the fisherman is sent for. Fish is and members of the same caste may­ money. They arc grown alternately caught with a net, and the house­ be found to be living together at on the same fields. Different fields holder gets half of the catch, and great distances if it. is so conveni­ are used for paddy which requires the fisherman the other half. If the ent, and lower caste people may be low land. Potato and jute arc householder wants all the fish, he found to settle near abouts high grown on the higher land. Neces­ must buy the fisherman's share at caste houses, especially if they arc sarily the individual holder of land the regular market price. Other­ the tenants of the latter. The does not have all his plots together. wise, the fisherman takes his share 901 August 15, 1953 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY to the nearby market for sale. one may go there to shop. other sources for maintaining the Among the residents of the village The major cottage industry in village estates and for retaining the the exchange of money is limited this village, as well as in the adjoin­ standard of living desired. As the as far as possible. ing villages, is weaving. Weaving standard of education is not very None of the householders own is a hereditary occupation among high, the desirable work is the hold­ very large quantities of land. There the caste of weavers .or T antis. ing of clerical jobs in the merchant are no exceptionally rich men in This area is well known for the pro­ arms or Government offices in this village. The joint family pro­ duction of some of the fine types Calcutta or in the towns around pel ties are divided into smaller of cotton saris, and dhotis of the Calcutta. Almost all the office- plots every successive generation. A quality desired in Bengal. The goers are daily commuters and calculation of actual land owner­ weavers are always in touch with spend much of their time travel­ ship is difficult and is the subject of the outside market for the sale of ling every day. This office-going a detailed study. Roughly land their cloth, as well as for the de­ has been going on for two genera­ ownership is of three types. (1) signs they produce. All the weavers tions and has given a particular Government property such as that from this and the surrounding stamp to the community. House­ owned by the railroads. (2) land areas bring their products for sale wives must rise early enough to for which a road cess is paid to the at the cloth hat held in Howrah provide a complete meal to the Government, such as the brahmot- early every Tuesday morning. office-goers by 6-30 a.m., and on tar lands which were at one time Weavers from great distances all week days, the upper caste houses gifts from the Maharaja of Burd- over Bengal bring their' goods to have only women and children in wan to the Bralunins of this and this hat. Here they sell their cloth them for twelve hours of the day. surrounding villages and the mal at wholesale prices to retailers and It is estimated that a monthly in­ lands owned by the Kayasthas casual buyers may also pick up come of Rs 150 or thereabouts in which were acquired formerly from attractive bargains. addition to the food grown in the zamindars on lease, and (3) praja- Weaving is not a profitable occu­ village is sufficient to provide com­ watta land, or land taken out on pation today. Due to the high cost fortable living to an average family. lease at a fixed rate of khajna of cotton yarn and the higher cost Anyone with an income of Rs 400 ( rent ) to the direct owner of land of living, few of the weavers are or more would be ' considered in the village or to a non-resident now independent producers.