PReM. 171 C 3 (N) 1,000 CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME XIV RAJAS'fHAN PART VI - C VILLAGE SURVEY MONOGRAPHS 3. B U JAW A R Field Investigation and First Draft by SHAMSHER SINGH Supervision and Final Draft by G. R. GUPTA Editor C. S. GUPTA OF THE INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE Superintendent of Census Operations. Rajasthan. 1966 FOREWORD Apart from laying the foundation of to find out how much of a village was static and demograpby in this sub-continent, a bundred yet changing and how fast the winds of change years of the Indian Census has also produced were blowing and from where. 'elaborate and scholarly accounts of the variegated phenomena of Indian lire, sometimes with no Randomness of selection was, therefore, statistics attached but usually with just enough eschewed. There was no intention to build up a statisticJ, (0 give empirical underpinning to their picture for the whole State in quantitative terms conclusiom.'. In a country, largely illiterate, where on the ba~is of "illages selected statistically at statistical or numerical comprehension of even random. The selection was avowedly purposive: such a simple thing as age was liable to be the object being as much to find out what was inaccurate, an understanding of the social struc­ happening and how fast to those villages which ture was essential. It was morc necessary to had fewer leaSODS to choose cbange and more attain a broad understanding of what was happen­ to remain lodged in the past as to discover how ing around oneself than to wrap oneself up in tbe more 'normal' types of villages were changing. 'statistical ingenuity' or 'mathematical manipula­ They were to be primarily type studies which. tion'. This explains why the Indian Census came by virtue of their number and distribution, would to be interested in 'many by-paths' and 'nearly also give the reader a 'feel' of what was going on every branch of schC'larship, from anthropology and some kind of a map of ele country. aud sociology to geography and religion'. A brief account of the tests of selection will In the last few decades the Census has belp to explain. A minimum of lhirty-five villages increasingly turned its efforts to the presentation of was to be chosen with great care to represent village statistics. This suits the temper of the times adequately geographical, occupational and even as well as our political and economic structure. ethnic diversity. Of this minimum of thirty-five, For even as we have a great deal of centralisation the distribution was to be as follows; on tbe one hand and decentralisation on the other, my colleagues thought it would be a wel­ (a) At least eight villages were to be so come continuation of the Census tradition to selected that each of them would contain one try to invert the dry bones of village statistics with dominant community with one predominating flesh-and-blood accounts of social structure and occupation, e. g., fishermen. forest workers, jhum social change. It was accordingly decided to cultivators, potters, weavers, salt-makers, quarry select a few vlllages in every State for special workers etc. A vil1age should have a minimum study, where personal observation would be population of 400, the optimum being between brought to bear on the interpretation of stati&tics 5GO and 700. (iv) (b) At least seven villages were to be of the Surveys set itself the task of .... hat might be numerically prominent Scheduled Tribes of the called a record in situ of matenal traits, like settle­ State. Each village could represent a particular ment patterns of the village; house ty pes; diet; tribe. The minimum population should be 400, dress; ornaments and footwear; furniture and the optimum being between 500 and 700. storing vessels; common means of transport of goods and passengers; dome~tication of animals (c) The third group of villages should each and birds; markets attended ; wor~hip of deities; be of fair size, of an old and settled character festivals and fairs. There were to be recordings, and contain variegated occupations and be, if of course, of cultural and social traIts and occu­ possible, multi·ethnic in composition. By fair pational mobility. This was follo\\ed up in March size was meant a population of 500-700 persons 1960 by two specimen schedules, one fur each or more. The village should mainly depend on household, the other for the village as a whole which, apart from spelling out the mode of inquiry agriculture and be sufficiently away from the major sources of modern communication such as suggested in the September 1959 conference, in­ the district administrative headquarters and troduced groups of questions aimed at sensing business centres. It should be roughly a day's changes in attitude and behaviour in such fields as marriage, inheritance, movable and immovable journey from the above places. The villages were property, indu!>try, indebtedness. education, com­ to be selected with an eye to variation in terms of size, proximity to city and other means of munity life and collective activity, social disabili­ modern communication, nearness to hills, jungles ties, forums of appeal over disputes, village lea­ and major rivers. Thus there was to be a regional dership, and organisation of cultural life. It was distribution throughout the State of this category now plainly the intention to provide adequate of villages. If, however, a particular district statistical support to empirical 'feel', to approach contained significant ecological variations within qualitative change through statistical quantities. had been difficult to t to the impor­ its area, more than one viltage in the di~trict It give hNlght might be selected to study the special adjustments tance of 'just enough statistics to give empirkal to them. underpinning to conclusion', at a time when my colleagues were straining themselves to the utmost It is a unique feature of these village for the success of the main Census operations, surveys that they rapidly outgrew their original but once the census count itself was left behind terms of reference, as my colleagues warmed up in March 1961, a series of three regional seminars to their work. This proved for them an absorbing in Trivandrum (May, 1961), Darjeeling and Srina­ voyage of discovery and their infectious enthusiasm gar (june, 1961) restored their attention to this compelled me to enlarge the inquiry's scope again fieJd and the importance of tracing social change and again. It was just as well cautiously to feel through a number of well-devised statistical tables one's way about at first and then venture further was once again recognised. This itself presuppo­ afidd, and although it accounts to some extent sed a fresh survey of villages already done; but for a certain unevenness in the quality a it was wor th the trouble in view of the possibili­ coverage of the monographs, it served to compen­ ties that a close analysis of statistics offered, and sate the purely honorary and extra-mural rigours also because the 'comanguinjt~· schedule remained of the task. For, the Survey, along with its many to be convassed. By November 1961 , however, ancillaries like the survey of fairs and festivals more was expected of these surveys than ever of small and rural industry and others, was a~ before. There was dissatisfaction on the one hand 'extra', over and above the crushing load of the with too many general statements and a growing 1961 Census. desire on the other to draw conclusions from statistics, to regard social and economic data as It might be of interest to recount briefly the interrelated processes, and finally to examine the Itag~ by which the Survey en!arged its scope. At social and economic processes set in motion thrQugh the fJr.t Census Conference in September 1959 laJld reforms and other Jaws, leaisJative ancl (v) administrative measures, technological and cultural quantity bas been more than made up for in change. Finally, a study camp was organised in quality. This is, perhaps, for the first time that the last week of December 1961, when the whole such a Survey has been conducted in any country. field was carefully gone through over again and a and that purely as a labour of' love. It bas programme worked out closely knitting the various succeeded in attaining what it set out to achieve: aims of the Survey together. The social studies to construct a map of village India's social Section of the Census Commission rendered structure. One hopes that the volumes of this assistance to State Superintendents by way of Survey will help to retain for the Indian Census scrutiny and technical comment on the frame of its title to 'the most fruitful single source of Survey and presentation of results. information about the country'. Apart from other featurelS, it will perhaps be conceded that the This gradual unfolding of the aims of the Survey has set up a new Census standard in Survey prevented my colleagues from adopting as pictorial and graphic documentation. The Schedules many villages as they had originally intended to.' finally adopted for the monographs have been But I believe that what may have been lost in printed in an appendix. New Delhi, A. MITRA July 30, 1964. Registrar General, IndiQ Villages selected for the Survey Viflage Tellsi! District Rang Mahal Suratgarh Ganganagar Mukam Nokha Bikaner Mudh Kolayat " Bajawa Udaipurwati Jhunjhunu Bhangarh Rajgarb Alwar Hasanpur Tijara .. Poonchhari Deeg Bharatpur Aghapur Bharatpur " Sanganer Sanganer Jaipur ChimanpUl'a Bairath Nangal Soosawatan .•. Amber .," Abhaneri Baswa .. Shivpura Ghata Beawar Ajmer Ramdeora Pokaran Jaisalmer Bujawar Jodhpur Jodhpur Kalijal Jodhpur .. Malar Pbalodi 11 Bhadwasi Nagaur Nagaur Goriya Bali Pali Ti!wara Pachpadra Barmer Ramslfl Pachpadra ,.