Visions in conflict: The village in the nationalist discourse

Abstract

Early colonial scholar-administrators preferred to describe Indian society as a sum total of self-sufficient 'little republics'-its villages. The view stemmed not from the prevailing constitution of the Indian society but because of the imperatives of consolidating an empire over an alien land. Post-Independence, the caste-view of Indian society overtook the village-view. The village declined in significance as labelling of social groups and recording of genealogies became absolutely central to administration. A look into the nationalists' points of view, both pre-and post-Independence, shows that the idea of the village varied as per different currents of thought and practice. The perceptions of Gandhi and Ambedkar, for instance, indicate how competing political agendas made a significant impact on the varied idealisations/criticisms of the Indian village. At the same time, all these views helped bring the village into the centre of ideological and political debate.