Sociology 3rd SEM PDF

Preview

Summary

SOCIOLOGYMODEL ANSWERS 2018INDIAN SOCIETY CONTINUITY & CHANGE1. Explain the geographical features of Indian SocietyGeographical location of a country determines the availability of the country’s resources like rainfall and water. It also influences nature of soil, range and density of forest...

Description

SOCIOLOGY MODEL ANSWERS 2018 INDIAN SOCIETY CONTINUITY & CHANGE

1. Explain the geographical features of Indian Society Geographical location of a country determines the availability of the country’s resources like rainfall and water. It also influences nature of soil, range and density of forest. These in turn determine flora and fauna, which balance the ecology, climate and crops. Territory of India is expanded from Kashmir to Cape Comorian and from Gujarat to Assam. Geographically India is divided into four physical divisions: (i) The great Mountain Walls. (ii) The great Indo-Gangetic plain. (iii) The great Deccan Plateau and (iv) The Coastal Ghats. The Great Mountain Walls or the Mountain Ranges of the Himalayas: In the north the mighty Himalayas with its lofty mountain ranges and majestic peaks stretching from East to West is protecting the country from external aggression like a gigantic sentinel. The great mountain wall is about 2500 km. long and its width varies from 240 km. to 320 km. Mount Everest is the highest peak known to be the highest in the world with a height of 29,142 feet. It is protecting India from cold winds and adversities of the Siberian desert. Similarly in the Eastern side dense forest, in-congenial climate and continuous rainfall is equally preventing the outsiders from crossing the boundary. This natural frontier of India thus is giving security but not immunity from invasion separating India from the rest of Asia by well-marked boundary lines. The Himalayas is the source of many useful and holy rivers like the Indus, the Gangas, the Jamuna, the Brahmaputra, and their tributaries. The snow of the mountain and heavy rainfall are responsible to ensure flow of sufficient water throughout the year through these rivers. The rivers irrigate plains, make land fertile that ultimately add to the richness in agriculture and abundant food supply.

The great Indo-Genetic Plain or Northern Plain: The river system of Northern India namely the Indus and its tributaries—(the Sutlej, the Ravi, the Beas, the Chenab and the Jhelum), the Ganges and its affluent (the Jamuna, the Chambal, the Gomti, the Ghagra and the Sone) and the Brahmaputra and its feeders irrigate this wide plain. These rivers played an important part in the evolution of Indian culture. It was in the valley of the river Indus that the earliest civilization of India flourished (Mohanjodaro and Harappa). The rivers of the Punjab and the Ganges determined also the nature and the course of the Aryan settlements in India. The vast natural resources of this plain explain the fertility and thereby the density of the population of this region. The richness and fertility of land here also account for the multiplicity of big urban centres and the centres of trade and the capitals of ancient Kingdoms. All these factors have made this plain the lure of one invader after another. The great Deccan Plateau: The Deccan Plateau lies in the south of Indo-Gangetic plain. On its north the Vindhya and the Satpura ranges separates it from Indo-Gangetic plain and slope-down to the Cape Comerin. In the east it starts from the Bay of Bengal and spreads right up to Arabian Sea in the West. Rivers like the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri, the Tungabhadra have swept the land and made the plateau highly covetous. At a time when the onslaught of the repeated foreign invasions, rise of Jainism and Buddhism in one stage had cornered the Hinduism and brought it down, the South came forward as a Savior and extended all possible patronage. In fact in-spite of numerous odds the Hindu religion and culture remained intact in this region and flourished tremendously. Incidentally both Jainism and Buddhism failed to get desired response from the South and evidently the impervious Deccan firmly held the blessings of Hindu religion and culture and overshadowed the religious imperialism of the Jainism and Buddhism. On the arrival of the Aryans in the northern plain the existing population was compelled to migrate towards the Deccan plateau. Without surrendering or embracing the new culture the migrants maintained their cultural identity. Even though the Aryan civilization appeared vulnerable yet the Dravidians maintained their own cultural heritage and survived undisturbed. Coastal Ghats: The Coastal Ghats broadly forms the coast-belts of East and West of the Deccan Plateau. On the eastern side of the plateau the hill range running from the north to the South almost parallel to the coast line is known as the Eastern Ghats. On the West the mountain range running parallel to the Arabian sea is known as the Western Ghats.

On the eastern side, the Coastal land which lies below the Eastern Ghats is much broader. The eastern scrap itself is of low elevation much less steep and it is broken in many places by the valley of the Deccan Rivers flowing eastwards. This made the communication of the

east coast with the uplands of the Deccan easy. This resulted in building many cities, flourishing civilizations and powerful kingdoms to exhibit the courage and gallantry of the Indian Community.

Q2. “Unity in Diversity” is a unique feature of Indian Society- Explain Marks.16 Ans Indian society is composed of different social groups with differences in race, language, religion etc. 1. Geographical Composition: Geographical location of a country determines the availability of the country’s resources like rainfall and water. It also influences nature of soil, range and density of forest. These in turn determine flora and fauna, which balance the ecology, climate and crops. Territory of India is expanded from Kashmir to Cape Comorian and from Gujarat to Assam. This vast territory includes several geographical regions: (i) The mountain belt stretching from North West (now Pakistan) to the north east. (ii) The Ganga-Yamuna plain. (iii) The region beyond the Vindyas and Satpura. In India, the vast geographical region has various diversities like high mountains and low plains, areas of freezing chill and frost in northern side and tropical heat in the south, places of high rainfall like in Charapunji and the dry lands of Rajasthan. The territorial and climatic diversities influence the cultural pattern of the community of those areas. Of course, with all these diversities, these people have developed a sense of unity, because of which we find continuity of our culture. 2. Racial Composition: According to D.N. Majumdar “If a group of people who by their possession of a number of common physical traits can be distinguished from others, even if the members of this biological group are widely scattered, they form a race”. Sir Harbert Risley has classified Indian population into seven categories. (a) Turko Iranian (b) Indo Aryan (c) Scytho Dravidian (d) Aryo Dravidian (e) Mongolo-Dravidian (f) Mongoloid (g) Dravidian Religious Composition: Almost all the religious groups of the world are found in India. Indian culture has the potentiality to accommodate different religions. There are eight major religious communities in India. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians and Tribes. Each religion has its own sects with their principles.

(a) Hinduism: Majority of Indians are Hindus. From 1991 census it is evident that Hindu population is more than 86% in India. Hinduism includes elements from three groups i.e., Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and pre-Dravidian. (b) Islam: It is the religion of the Muslims. It was originated in Arabic country. By the end of 12th century A.D, Islam entered India through the Muslim rulers. According to 1991 census the Muslim population comprises of 11.35% of the total population of the country. (c) Christianity: Christians are scattered all over India. But they are mainly concentrated in Kerala. Nearly one fourth of the state population is coming under Christianity. At present they form 2.43 per cent of the total population of India. There are other religions like Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism etc. who lives in India. Linguistic groups: George Grierson in his writing “Linguistic Survey of India” found that India has more than 175 languages and more than 500 dialects. Majority of languages are spoken in Northern part of India. All the Indian languages have been classified into different linguistic families. They are not equally distributed all over India The nature of Unity in India In India aspects of diversity and unity co-exist, as follows: 1.Regional Unity The natural boundaries provide India geographical unity. In Ancient times India was known as bharatavarsha, bharatakanada, jambudweepa .this symbolizes the significance of historical unity. The very name 'bharatavarsha' has occupied an important place in the minds of poets, Political philosophers, and religious thinkers. 2. Linguistics unity despite the presence of number of languages, India also possesses lingual unity. Sanskrit as a common base of Indian languages provides the basis of unity as a result of which the linguistic multiplicity has been solved. Simultaneously Sanskrit became the language of Hindu culture and all classics were composed in the language, which demanded reverence and respect. 3. Religious unity In spite of the religious diversities, India possesses religious unity. the feeling of each

religious group in the same, each accepts the truth of immortality of soul, temporary nature of world, belief in rebirth, the doctrine of karma, salvation, contemplation etc., there may be differences in the way these elements are treated but each religion preaches of fundamentally single religious faith and share the belief in purity and values of life in respect of belief in the unseen power benevolence, piety, honesty and liberality with every other religious Faith. 4. Cultural Unity In art and architecture, dress and food, literature, music and dance, sports and cinema, medicine and technology there is a fusion of style and the emergence of new forms which are the results of their combined efforts. Thus it becomes apparently clear from the above accounts that running through various diversities, India has been helped both by nature and nature, by her geographical condition and historical experiences, by her religious ethics, and political ideas. 3. Explain the contributions of Dr. G S Ghurye towards the Indological Approach Marks.16 Ans Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1893-1984) is a towering figure in intellectual and academic circles for his unique contribution in the field of Indian sociology. He has often been acclaimed as the ‘father of Indian sociology’, ‘the doyen of Indian sociologists’ or ‘the symbol of sociological creativeness’. Ghurye had been engaged in building up; almost single handedly, the entire first generation of Indian sociologists in post-independence period. Ghurye’s Indological Approach hovers around the study of Indian Culture and Social Structure drawing its sustenance from sanskritic literature base. He was more influenced by the writings of Indologists of Bhandarkan Institute of Bombay rather than the British writings established by Sir William Jones or Max Muller. So he is often said to be relying on indigenous Indology. Ghurye tried to make a judicious blending between the Indological and Sociological discipline Methodological approach of Ghurye: G.S Ghurye is known for his Indological Approach for Understanding Indian society. As Method of study indological approach refers to the study of Classical Hindu texts or in the word of M.N Srinivas ‘Book Veiw’ to comprehend the core element of indian society and culture. Ghurye was initially influenced by the reality of diffusionist approach of British social anthropology but subsequently he switched on to the studies of Indian society from indological and anthropological perspectives. He emphasized on Indological approach in the study of social and cultural life in India and the elsewhere. This helps in the understanding of society through literature. Works of Ghurye:

Caste and Race in India (1932) • Indian Sadhus (1953) • Bharatnatyam and it’s costume (1958) • Family and Kinship in Indo-European culture (1955) • Social tensions in India (1968) Caste and Race in india:Ghurye’s understanding of caste is comparative, historical and Indological as well. Unlike his contemporaries he doesn't glorify or condemn caste, rather he considers caste as a product of Indian culture, changing with the passage of time. Hence, it is a subject of sociological interest. Ghurye explains caste in India on the basis of six distinctive characteristics: 1. Segmental division of society; 2. Hierarchy; 3. Civil and religious disabilities and privileges; 4. Lack of unrestricted choice of occupation; 5. Restriction on food, drinks and social intercourse; 6. Endogamy. Tribes in India Ghurye considers that multiple ethnic groups were present in India prior to the entry of Aryans. Hindu culture was not imposed on tribal communities; rather an interaction Aryan culture that materialistic culture of different ethnic groups gave way to evolution of Hinduism. Therefore considering Hindu culture as Aryan culture is nonsensical. The tribal deities like Ganesh, Kali, and Shiva were getting equal space in Hinduism with Aryan dieties like Indira, Vishnu, Brahma. Animism, totemism, naturalism for establishing synthesis between multiple culture present in Indian society Rural- Urbanization Ghurye says that urbanization in India was not just due to the industrial growth; rather it started within the rural areas itself. He took the references from Sanskrit texts and documents to illustrate the growth of urban centres from the need for market felt in a rural hinterland. Development of agriculture needed more and more markets to exchange the surplus in food

grains. So in many rural areas, one part of a village started functioning into a market. This led to a township, which in turn developed administrative, judicial and other institutions 4. Explain the characteristics and functions of Joint Family Marks.16 Ans Introduction

Family is one of the universal and permanent institutions of mankind. In every society and at every stage of development we found some sort of family. As a result we found different types of family all over the world. But in India we found a peculiar family system which deserve special attention. The family in India does not consist only of husband, wife and their children but also of uncles, aunts and cousins and grandsons this system is called joint family Definitions According to Smt. Iravati Karve, “A joint family is a group of people who generally live under one roof, who eat food cooked at one hearth, who hold property in common and who participate in common worship and are related to each other as some particular type of Kindred.” According to K.M. Kapadia, “Joint family is a group formed not only of a couple and their children but also other relations either from father’s side or from mother’s side depending on whether the joint family is patrilineal or matrilineal.” Features or Characteristics of Joint Family: Large in Size: The most important characteristic of joint family is that it is large in size. Because it consists of members of three to four generations. It includes parents, grandparents, children grand children and other close blood relatives. Several nuclear families live together as one and constitute a joint family. Joint Property:Joint or common property is another important characteristic of joint family. All movable and immovable property of the family held jointly. Ownership, production and consumption of property take place jointly. All the members pool their income in a common family fund from which expenditure is incurred equally irrespective of their income. The head of the family acts as a trustee of the family property and looks towards the material and spiritual welfare of the family members. A family continue to remain joint till it’s property held jointly. Division of property means division of family Common Kitchen:It is the next important feature of joint family. All the members of joint family eat food cooked at one hearth. There is division of work in a joint family. Male members work in the field whereas female members remain engaged in the hearth. The eldest female member remains in charge of the kitchen and supervises the work of other women. This joint kitchen keeps the joint family integrated. Because separate kitchen means separation of family. Common Residence:All the members of a joint family live under a common roof or in a common residence. This joint living crates a sense of unity among all the members

of the family. As the joint family consists of several nuclear family when it became too large and the accommodation became insufficient they may live in separate houses in close proximity to one another. Thus living in a common residence all the members eats similar type of food, wear similar type of dresses and shows similar type of behaviour Common Worship:All the members of a joint family believe in a particular religion and worships common gods and goddesses. This common god is known as ‘kula devatas’. All the members participate in common prayer and worship their ‘kula devatas’ jointly. They have similar faith and beliefs. All the members celebrate religious rites, duties and festivals jointly. This joint worship passes from generation to generation. Similar rights and obligations:All the members of the joint family except the head enjoy similar rights and shows similar obligations towards each other. This keeps the joint family integrated. Each member remain conscious about his rights and obligations. Close blood ties: All the members of joint family are bound by close blood ties. In other words there exists close blood relationships among the members of joint family. Absolute power of the head:In a joint family the eldest male member or the head enjoy absolute power over others. In every respect his decision is final and binding. Co-operation:Co-operation is the basis of joint family. All the members co-operate with each other in realization of their common objective and while performing family functions. Socialistic Ideals:Joint family based on socialistic ideals “from each according to his capacity and to each according to his necessity”. The Functions of Joint Family It performs many functions. Some of its important functions or advantages or merits are stated below:— (1) Economic functions: Joint family performs a number of economic functions. It guarantees food, clothing and shelter to its members. All the members of joint family works together on a cooperative

basis and in that way it saves money that would have been spent on hired labour. Besides collective purchase of household articles also saves money. It avoids fragmentation of agricultural land and thereby helps in increasing productivity. By this way joint family ensures economic progress of the family as well as society. (2) Protective functions: Joint family performs a number of protective functions for its members. It acts as a safe home for the physically or mentally handicapped, sick, old members.It also acts as an asylum for the orphans. It also assures a proper living for the widows. Thus joint family acts as a social insurance company for the old, sick and destitute. (3) Recreational functions: Joint family performed a number of recreational functions for its members. It provides healthy recreation to all its members. By arranging feasts on different religious, social and festive occasions it provides recreation to its members. The joking relationships in the joint family are another source of amusement. (4) Fosters social virtues: Joint family fosters good social virtues like sacrifice, love, affection, cooperation, mutual help, selflessness, renunciation among its members and makes the family a cradle of social virtues. Under care and guidance of the elders the youths are prevented from being wayward. These social virtues are learned during the process of socialization. (5) Socialism: Socialism prevails in joint family because it believes in the socialistic principle i.e. “from each according to his ability and to each according to his necessity. Hence Sir Henry maine is right when he remarked that the joint family is like a corporation whe...