Organization of Kinship and Family in Marwari Community: The Case of Chickpet in Bengaluru A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Sociology By Chandni Sarda (Reg. No.1434501 ) Under the Guidance of L T Om Prakash Assistant Professor Department of Sociology CHRIST UNIVERSITY BENGALURU, INDIA June 2016 i APPROVAL OF DISSERTATION Dissertation entitled ‘Organization of Kinship and Family in Marwari Community: The Case of Chickpet in Bengaluru’ by Chandni Sarda Reg. No. 1434501 is approved for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Sociology. Examiners: 1. ___________________ ___________________ 2. ___________________ ___________________ 3. ___________________ ___________________ Supervisor: ___________________ ___________________ Chairman: ___________________ ___________________ Date: ___________ Place: Bengaluru ii DECLARATION I Chandni Sarda hereby declare that the dissertation, titled Organization of Kinship and Family Structure in Marwari Community: The Case of Chickpet in Bengaluru is a record of original research work undertaken by me for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Sociology. I have completed this study under the supervision of Dr Om Prakash, Department of Sociology. I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or presentation purpose. I hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no plagiarism in any part of the dissertation. Place: Bengaluru Chandni Sarda Date: Reg No. 1434501 Department of Sociology Christ University, Bengaluru iii CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the dissertation submitted by Chandni Sarda (Reg.No. 1434501) titled ‘Organization of Kinship and Family in Marwari Community: The Case of Chickpet in Bengaluru’ is a record of research work done by her during the academic year2014-2016 under my supervision in partial fulfillment for the award of Master of Philosophy in Sociology. This dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship,fellowship or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or presentation purpose. Hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no plagiarism in any part of the dissertation. Place: Bengaluru Date: Dr Om Prakash Assistant Professor Department of Sociology Christ University, Bengaluru Dr.Pritha Das Gupta Head of Department of Sociology Christ University, Bengaluru iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am indebted to the following individuals and institution for their help in my research work: The greatest indebtedness is due to my supervisor Dr Om Prakash, Department of Sociology serving as Assistant professor at Christ University for his scholarly guidance in preparing this thesis. I wish to put on record my deep sense of gratitude to him. He inspired me to work on this area through series of discussions. He has always motivated me to work positively for this research in its entire process. Secondly, my father Mr Pravin Sarda has always been with his constant advice, support and inspiration for successfully completing my research work. I would also like to acknowledge Dr Pritha Das Gupta, Head of the Department, Christ University to be a moral support and guide me all through the process. My heartful thanks to Miss Maneesha Sarda, my sister for always being source of inspiration and motivation at all times of my research process. Often we engaged in fruitful discussions about my research area. I am obliged to Mr. Swami Jain, Committee Member of Adhinath Temple at Chickpet for providing detailed information about the Marwari community that has proved to be beneficial for my research. (Chandni Sarda) v ABSTRACT The Marwaris at Chickpet, Bangalore is a migrant community from the rugged desert of Rajasthan. Records show that this community spread across the globe, travelled as migrant merchant traders four hundred years ago to what we know call as one of the most important shopping areas of Bangalore, Chickpet which still bustles with energy and enthusiasm.. It offers a potential research area in the understanding of organization of kinship and family structure. The research explores how tradition and modernity of this community has given it a unique character where it has been fruitful enough to still practice the olden ways of social organization. In the midst of this tradition several exogenous factors have operated outside the community. The Marwaris have exhibited flexibility and have adapted positively to these diverse changes. The introduction chapter provides a brief idea about this enterprising community, hypotheses, objectives and relevance of my research. The main goal is to discover and understand the pattern of kinship and family structure in the midst of several external factors operating outside the community. Urban Sociology and Marwari community dynamics reflect the interplay of both urban setting and traditional values in giving the community a unique character. Processes of urbanization, modernization and industrialization have changed the ideologies of this community who are tagged to be conservative and backward. The Marwaris are well known for their risk taking capacity and business sense. The study also attempts to trace the patriarchal lineage of the community based on rules of sapinda and gotra. Status of Marwari women, her rights, decision making power is clearly reflected. She is subjugated and withheld from owning either her father’s or husband’s property. Institution of marriage intersects clearly with principles of kinship, family and property ownership. Review of literature explores in details the concepts of kinship and family with respect to past researches and work done in this field by eminent scholars and sociologists. Methodology chapter is focuses on qualitative and ethnographic analysis undertaken by the researcher. The findings reveal several outcomes and are a reflection of prevalence of joint family system among the Marwaris. Kinship relations play a significant role in defining roles and delegating responsibilities. It is maintained through occasional visits and exchange of gifts. vi especially between affinal relationships. The male head is the backbone of the Marwari family. They follow a particular kinship terminology which shows similarity with the type found in Northern Zone of India. There are strict rules for selection of partners based on endogamy though love marriages have become more frequent. Conclusion chapter summarizes the entire research and addresses fruits of research. The community has witnessed significant changes in the past decades as it has an operating urban culture of Bengaluru. They have become flexible in their ideologies where women are encouraged to enrol for higher education and aspire for career opportunities of their choice. vii CONTENT Cover page………………………………………………………………………………….i Approval of Dissertation……………………………………………………………………ii Declaration…………………………………………………………………………………iii Certificate…………………………………………………………………………………..iv Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………..v Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….vi Chapter 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Marwaris .............................................................................................................. 2 1.2 The Marwari Traders, Merchants and Industrialists ..................................................... 5 1.3 Mapping Marwari Community .................................................................................... 5 1.4 Conceptualising Family ............................................................................................... 7 1.5 Traditional Joint Family: A Common Indian Feature ................................................... 8 1.6 The Marwari Family in Flux........................................................................................ 9 1.7 Emerging Trends in Family ....................................................................................... 11 1.8 Concept of Kinship .................................................................................................... 12 1.9 Pre Colonial Rajasthan and Kinship Politics .............................................................. 13 1.10 Modifications in Kinship ......................................................................................... 14 1.11 Urban Sociological Perspective ................................................................................ 15 1.12 Description of Present Study .................................................................................... 17 1.13 Traditional Social Organization of Marwaris ........................................................... 18 1.14 Marwari Women and Kinship System ..................................................................... 19 1.15 Control and Management of Female Sexuality ......................................................... 20 Chapter 2 Review of Literature ........................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3 Research Method ................................................................................................ 54 3.1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................... 55 3.2 Scope, Relevance and Importance of the