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Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Write short notes on:
Answer. (i) Women’s Movement: Early 20th Century saw the growth of women’s organisations
such as ‘Women’s India Association (WLA) (1917)’ All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) (1926), ‘National Council for Women in India (NEWI) (1925)’. While many of them began with a limited focus, their scope extended overtime.
It is often assumed that only middle class educated women were involved in social movements.
But part of the struggle is to remember the forgotten history of women’s participation. Women participated alongwith men in struggles and revolt originated in tribal and rural areas in colonial period. Thus, not only urban women but also rural and tribal women participated in political agitations struggles, gradually empowering themselves. The mid 1970s saw the second phase of Indian women’s movement. There was growth of autonomous women’s movement, i.e., < They were independent from political parties as well as women’s organisations that had links with political parties.
Educated women took radical active politics. Simultaneously promoted an analysis of women’s movement. New issues were now being focused upon such as violence against women, application for schools forms had both father’s and mother’s name: legal changes such as land rights, employment, rights against sexual harassment and dowry. Mathura rape case (1978), Maya Tyagi rape case (1980) Both were custodial rape.
Hence, it was also recognised that in women’s movements, there is bound to be disparity because women belong to different classes and thus their needs and concerns are bound to be different.
(ii) Tribal Movements: Most of the tribal movements have been largely located in the so called “tribal belt” in middle India, such as the Santhals, Hos Oraons, Mundas in Chota Nagpur and the Santhal Parganas.
The social movement of Jharkhand had a charismatic leader in Birsa Munda, an adivasi who led a major uprising against the British.
His memory has still been kept alive has continued to be a source of inspiration for generation.
An educated middle class among the tribals was created by the Western education given by Christian missionaries. This education class developed the ethnic consciousness – awareness of their identity culture and customs. A sense of marginalisation brought together the tribal population of South Bihar. They identified their common enemies – dikus—migrant traders, money lenders. The adivasis in senior government jobs provided organisational intellectual leadership to the movement and negotiated and labbied for the creation of their own state on the following issues—acquisition of land for large irrigation projects; survey and settlement operations, which were held up, camps closed, etc; collection of loans, rent and cooperative dues; nationalisation of forest produce.
As far as the NE tribes were concerned, main issue taken up were – ascertain distinct tribal identity of the region; demanding of the traditional autonomy of tribes; misunderstanding & lack of communication in Indian mainstream society which needs to be bridged;
•Rights of the tribes to maintain their own social cultural institutions along with a connection with the rest of the India;
•Anger oFtribes because of the loss of their forest lands.
Thus, tribal movements are good examples of social movements, which incorporates many issues – economic, cultural, ecological.
Earlier many tribal regions of NE, showed tendencies of separating from India but today they have adopted a balanced approach of asking for autonomy with the framework of Indian institution.

Q2.In India, it is difficult to make a .clear distinction between the old and new social movements. Discuss.
Answer. Old Social Movements
•Class based – united to fight for rights.
•Anti-colonial movements.
• Nationalist movement united people into national e.g., liberation struggle.
•Movement against colonialism.
•Nationalist movement mobilied against rule of foreign power and dominance of foreign capital.
•Mainly concerned with struggles between haves and havenots. Key issue is reorganisation of power relations, i.e. capturing power & transferring it from powerful to powerless, e.g. Workers were mobilised towards capitalists; Women’s struggle against male domination.
•Worked under guidance & organisational framework of political parties, eg. Indian National Congress led the Indian National movement; Communist Party of China led the Chinese Revolution.
•Role of political parties was central and poor people had no other effective means to get their voices heard.
•Concerned about social inequality and unequal distribution of resources -important elements.
New Social Movements
•Decades after Second World War- 1960s and early 1970s
•Take up not just narrow class issues but broad, universal themes, which involved a broad social group irrespective of their class.
•Vietnam were forces led by US bloody conflict.
•Paris – Vibrant student’s movement joined worker’s parties in a series of strikes
protesting against the war.
•USA was experiencing a sure of social protests. Civil rights movement was led by Martin Luther King.
•Black powers movement led by Malcolm X.
•Women’s movement, environmental movement.
•No longer focus on redistribution of power rather are more concerned with improving the quality of life. eg. Right to education, clean environment.
•No longer confine themselves within political parties. Instead started joining civil society movements and forming NGOs because they are supposed to be more efficient, less corrupt and less autocratic
•Globalization – reshaping people’s lines, culture, media Firms – transnational. Legal arrangements – international.
Therefore, many new social movements are international in scope.
•Essential elements – Identity politics, cultural anxieties and aspirations.

Q3.Environmental movements often also contain economic and identity issues. Discuss.
Answer. The Chipko movement is a suitable example of an ecological or environmental movements. It is an appropriate example of intermingled interests and ideologies. Ramchandra Guha says in his book Unquiet Woods that villagers came together to save the oak and rhododendron forests near their villages. The government forest contractors came to fell the trees but the villagers, including large number of women, came forward to hug the trees to check their being felled. The villagers relied on the forest to get firewood, fodder and other daily requirements. It was a conflict between livelihood needs of poor villagers and government’s desire to make revenue from selling timber.
Chipko movement raised the issue of ecological sustainability. Felling down natural forests was a form of environmental destruction which resulted in demonstrating floods and landslides in the area. Therefore, concerns about economy, ecology and political representation underlay the Chipko movement.

Q4.Distinguish between Feasant and New Farmer’s Movements.
Answer. (i) Peasant movements have taken place from pre-colonial days. The movement took place between 1858 and 1914 remained localised, disjointed and confined to particular grievances. The well known movement are:
•Bengal Revolt of 1859 – 62 against the indigo plantation system.
•Deccan Riots of 1857 against money lenders.
•The Bardoli Satyagraha – 1928 was a non tax campaign started by Gandhi.
•Champaran Satyagraha 1917-18. It was directed against indigo plantations.
•Tebhaga movement (1946-47)
•Telangana movement (1946-51)
(ii) New farmer’s movement started in 1970s in Punjab and Tamil Nadu. Main Characteristics:
•Movements were regionally organised.
•Movements were non-party.
•Movements involved farmers rather than peasants.
•Main ideology- Strongly anti-state and anti-urban
•Focus of demand – Price related issues.

Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Trace out the changes that have been occurring in the newspaper industry? What is your opinion on these changes?
Answer. It is often believed that with the growth of the Television and the internet the print media would be sidelined. However, in India we have seen the circulation of newspapers grow. New technologies have helped boost the production and circulation of newspapers. A large number of glossy magazines have also made their entry into the market.
The reasons for the growth in Indian newspapers are many.
1.There is a rise in the number of literate people who are migrating to cities. The Hindi daily ‘Hindustan’ in 2003 printed 64,000 copies of their Delhi’s edition, which jumped drastically in 2005, to 425,000. The reason was that of Delhi’s population of one crore and fprty seven lakh, 52% had come from the Hindi belt of the two states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Of this, 47% have come from a rural background and 60% of them were less than 40 years of age.
2. The need of the readers in the small towns and villages are different from that of the cities and the Indian language newspapers cater to those needs. Dominant Indian language newspapers such as Malayala Manorama and the Eenadu launched the concept of local news in a significant manner by introducing district and whenever necessary, block editions. Dina Thanthi-, another leading Tamil newspaper, had always used simplified and colloquial language.
3.The Indian language newspapers have adopted advanced printing technologies and also attempted supplements, pull outs, and literary and nice booklets.
4.Marketing strategies have also marked the Dainik Bhaskar group’s growth as they carry out consumer contact programmes, door- to-door surveys, and research. Thus, modem mass media has to have a formal structural organisaiton.
•While English newspapers, often called National Dailies’, circulate across regions, vernacular newspapers have vastly increased their circulation in the states and the mral interland. In order to compete with the electronic media, newspapers, especially English language newspapers have on the one hand reduced prices and on the other hand brought out editions from multiple centres.
•Change in the role of newspaper production-role of technology.
•Many feared that the rise in electronic media would lead to a decline in the circulation of print media. This has not happened. Indeed it has expanded. This process has often involved cuts in prices and increasing dependence on the sponsors of advertisements who in turn have a larger say in the content of newspapers.
•Newspapers have become a consumer product and as long as numbers are big, everything is up for sale.

Q2.Is radio as a medium of mass communication dying out? Discuss the potential that FM stations have in post-liberalisation India?
Answer. 1.With the advent of TV, internet and other audio visual forms of entertainment, people started believing that radio will bean outdated form of mass communication but this thinking proved wrong.
2.In 2000, AIR’s programmes could be heard in two-third of Indian household in 24 languages and 146 dialects, over some 120 million radio sets. The advent of privately owned FM radio stations in 2002 provided a boost to entertainment over radio. –
3.In order to attract audiences, these privately run radio stations sought to provide entertainment to its listeners.
4.As privately rim FM channels are not permitted to broadcast any political news bulletins, many of these channels specialize in ‘particular kinds’ of popular music to retain their audiences. One such FM channel claims that it broadcasts ‘All hits all day’.
5.Most FM channels which are popular among young urban professional and students often belong to media conglomerates. Like ‘Radio Mirchi’ belongs to the Times of India group, Red FM is owned by Living Media and Radio City by the Star Network. But independent radio stations engaged in public broadcasting like National Public Radio (USA) or BBC (UK) are missing from our broadcasting landscape.
6.The use of radio m movies—In the two films ‘Rang de Basanti’ and ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ the radio is used as an active medium of communication although both the movies are set in the contemporary period. In ‘Rang de Basanti’ die conscientious, angry college youth, inspired by the Legend of Bhagat Singh assassinates a minister and then captures All India Radio to reach out to die people and disseminate their message.
7.The potential for using FM channels is enormous. Further privatization of radio stations and the emergence of community owned radio stations would lead to the growth of radio stations. The demand for local news is growing. The number of homes listening to FM in India has also reinforced the worldwide trend of networks getting replaced by local radio.

Q3.Trace the changes that have been happening in the medium of television. Discuss.
Answer. •TV programming was introduced experimentally in India to promote rural development as early as 1959. Later, the Satellite Instructional Television
Experiment (SITE) broadcasted directly to community viewers in the rural areas of 6 states between August 1975 and July 1976.
•These instructional broadcasts were broadcasted to 2400 TV sets directiy for 4 hours daily.
•In 1991, there was one state controlled TV channel Doordarshan in India. By 1998, there were almost 70 channels. Privately run satellite channels have multiplied rapidly since mid-1990s, while Doordarshan broadcasts over 20 channels there were some 40 private television networks broadcasting in 2000. The staggering growth of private satellite television has been one of the defining developments of contemporary India.
•The Gulf War of 1991 (which popularized CNN), and the launching of star-TV in the same year by the Whampoa Hutchinson Group signalled the arrival of satellite channels in India. In 1992, Zee TV, a Hindi based satellite entertainment channel, also began beaming programs to cable TV viewers in India. By 2000, 40 private cable and satellite channels were available including several that focused exclusively on regional-language broadcasting like Sun-TV, Udaya-TV, Raj-TV, and Asianet.
•While Doordarshan was expanding rapidly in the 1980s, the cable television industry was mushrooming in major Indian cities. The VCR greatly multiplied entertainmentoptions for Indian audiences, providing alternatives to Doordarshan’s single channel programming. Video viewing at home and in community-based parlours increased rapidly. The video fare consisted mostly of film-based entertainment, both domestic begun wiring apartment buildings to transmit several films a day. The number of cable operators also increased significantly.
•The coming in of transnational television companies like Star TV, MTV, Channel V, Sony and others, worried some people on the likely impact on Indian youth and on the Indian cultural identity. But most transnational television channels have through research realized that the use of the familiar is more effective in procuring the diverse groups that constitute Indian audience. The early strategy of Sony .International was to broadcast 10 Hindi films a week, gradually decreasing the number as the station produced its own Hindi language content. The majority of foreign networks have now introduced either a segment of Hindi language programming (MTV India) or an entire new Hindi language channel (Star Plus). Star Sports and ESPN have dual commentary or an audio soundtrack in Hindi. The larger players have launched specific regional channels in languages such as Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi and Gujarati.
•Localisation of STAR TV- in October 1996, STAR Plus initially an all English general entertainment channel originating from Hong Kong, began producing a Hindi language belt of programming between 7 and 9 PM. By February 1999, the channel was converted to a solely Hindi channel and all English serials shifted to STAR World, the network’s English language international channel. Advertising to promote the Hindi channel included the Hindi slogan: ‘Aapki Boli, Aapka Plus Point).
•Both STAR and Sony continued to dub US programming for younger audience as children appeared to be able to adjust to the peculiarities that arise when the language is one and the setting another.

Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Choose any topic that is of interest to you and discuss how you think globalisation has affected it. You could choose cinema, work, marriage or any other topic.
Answer. 1. The effect of globalization on cinema is far reaching. It affects us, on culture, our modes of behaviour, mode of thinking, etc. but affects us differently while for , some it may mean new pattern and opportunities of culture, music, dance, etc. but for others the challenge for their own style of music for identity of culture, for own dance, etc.
2. Advancement in IT (Information Technology), photography, musical instrument, cameras etc. had definitely positive effects on cinema due to globalization. It has opened more wider and larger markets for film producers and even for people to enjoy more films of their own choices and likings.
3. Sociology studies the social or cultural consequences of globalization. With the opening up of the market and removal of restrictions to the import of many products we have many more products from different comers of the world in our neighbourhood shops. The dramatic changes in the media (including cinema) are perhaps the most visible effect of globalization. Some of the Indian film producers, directors, actors and so on are being welcome in other countries and regions or film industries of the world. Similarly several foreign film-makers, directors, heroes and heroines are being called and welcomed by different countries and film industries.
4. Children films, cartoon films, comedies, social and love films are produced in several languages side by side. Film festivals and film promotion shows are being screened in different countries.
5.Music, dance forms, styles of presentations, natural and other scenes, filmy sets are mutually exchanged and are impressing minds of the concerned people of the film industry on universal level.

Q2. What are the distinctive features of a globalised economy ? Discuss.
Answer The distinctive features of a Global Economy are:
1. Globalisation refers to the growing interdependence between different peoples, regions and countries in the world as social and economic relationships come to stretch world-wide.
2.Although economic forces are an integral part of globalization, it would be wrong to suggest that they alone produce it. Globalisation involves a stretching of social and economic relationship throughout the world. This stretching is pushed by certain economic policies very broadly. This process in India is termed liberalization. The term liberalization refers to a range of policy decisions that the Indian state took since 1991 to open up the Indian economy to the world market. This marked a break with an earlier stated policy of the government to have a greater control over the economy.
3.Among the many economic factors during globalization, the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) is particularly important.
4.Since July 1991, the Indian economy has witnessed a series of reforms in all major sectors of the economy (agriculture, industry, trade, foreign investment and technology, public sector, financial institutions, etc). The basic assumption was that greater integration into the global market would be beneficial to Indian economy.
5. Hie process of liberalization also involved the taking of loans from international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These loans are given on certain conditions. The government makes commitments to pursue certain kind of economic measures that involve a policy of structural adjustments. These adjustments usually mean cuts in state expenditure on the social sector such as health, education and social security. There is also a greater say by international institutions such as the World Trade Organisaiton (WTO).

Q3.Briefly discuss the impact of globalisation on culture.
Answer. The Impact of Globalisation on Culture.
1.Globalisation in the last decade (1999-2000) has seen major cultural changes leading to fears that our local cultures would be overtaken.
2.From time to time we listen about heated debates (or discussion) in our society (or on mass media) not just about political and economic issues but also about changes in clothes, styles, music, dance, films, languages, body-languages.
3.The 19th century socio-religious reformers and early nationalists (moderates also debated on culture and tradition. The issues today are in some ways the same ways different. What is perhaps different is the scale and intensity of change.
4.Some of the scholars declares that India’s cultural traditional has been wary of the Kupamanduka, the frog that lives its whole life within a well, knows nothing else,and is suspicious of everything outside it. It talks to no one, and argues with no
one on anything. It merely harbours the deepest suspicion of the outside world. Fortunately for us we retain our ‘traditional’ open-minded attitude to this day.
5.All cultures are homogeneous. There is an increasing tendency towards globalization of culture. Globalization refers to the mixing of the global with the local. It is not entirely delinked from the commercial interests of globalization.
6. It is a strategy often adopted by foreign firms while dealing with local traditions in order to enhance their marketability. In India, we find that all the foreign television channels like Star, MTV, Channel V and Cartoon Network use Indian languages, even McDonald sells only vegetarian and chicken products in India and not its beef products, which are popular abroad. McDonald’s goes vegetarian during the Navaratri Festival.
7.The strength of Indian culture has been its open-minded approach. Culture cannot be seen as an unchanging fixed entity that can either collapse or remain the same when faced with social change.

Q4.What is globalisation? Is it simply a market strategy adopted by multinational companies or is genuine cultural synthesis taking place ? Discuss.
Answer. I. Meaning of globalisation:
•There is no one meaning or definition of the term (or of the word) ‘globalisation’. Indeed we find different that different subjects focus on different aspects of globalization for instance, economics may be dealing more with the economic dimensions such as capital flows, Political Science may focus on the changing role of governments.
•The very process of globalisation is so far-reaching that disciplines have to increasingly borrow from each other to understand both are causes and consequences of globalization.
•The scope of sociological study is extremely wide. It can focus its analysis of interactions between individuals such as that of a shopkeeper with a customer, between teachers and students, between two friends or family members.
•It can likewise focus on national issue such as unemployment or caste conflict or the effect of state policies on forest rights of the tribal population or rural indebtedness.
•Global social processes such as the impact of new flexible labour regulations on the working class, or that of the electronic media on the young, or the entry of foreign universities on the education system of the country.
•What defines the discipline of sociology is, therefore, not just what it studies (i.e., family or trade unions or villages) but how it studies a chosen field.
•Sociology is not defined by what it studies but how it studies. It would be not quite right to state that sociology only studies the social or cultural consequences of globalization. What it does is the use of sociological imagination to make sense of the connections between the individual and society, the micro and the macro, the local and the global.
II.International companies, their adopted strategy and cultural synthesis in India
•Since April 1, 2001, all types of quantitative restrictions (QR) on imports were withdrawn. It is no surprise now to find a Chinese pear, an Australian apple vying for attention in the local fruit stall. The neighbourhood store also has Australian orange juice and ready to fry chips in frozen packets.
•What we eat and drink at home with our family and friends slowly changes.
The same set of policy changes affects consumers and producers differently.
•They are obviously also linked to public policies adopted by the government and its agreement with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Likewise macro policy changes have meant that instead of one television channel we have literally scores today.
•Sociological imagination enables to make this connects between the micro and the macro, between the personal and public.
•Among the many economic factors driving globalization, the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) is particularly important.

Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Choose any occupation you see around you – and describe it along the following lines (a) social composition of the work force – caste, gender, age, region (b) labour process – how the work takes place, (c) wages and other benefits, (d) working conditions – safety, rest times, working hours, etc.
Answer. 1. Since 1990’s, the government has followed policy of liberalization. Private companies, especially foreign firms encouraged investment in sector which was earlier reserved for the government.
2.Generally people get jobs through advertisement or through employment exchange in industrial sector. Man and women both work in industrial sector. The persons engaged in industry get salary or wages along with certain benefits like HRA (House Rent Allowance) and Medical facilities.
3.Job recruitment as a factory worker takes a different pattern. In the past, many workers got their jobs through contractors or jobbers. In the Kanpur textile mills, these jobbers were known as mistris, and were themselves workers. They came from the same regions and communities as the workers, but because they had the owner’s backing they bossed over the workers.
4.The mistri also put community related pressures on the workers. Nowadays, the importance of the jobber has come down, and both management and unions play a role in recruiting their own people.
5.Workers also expect that they can pass on their jobs to their children. Many factories employ badli workers who substitute for regular permanent workers who are on leave. Many of these badli workers have actually worked for many years for the same company but are not given the same status and security. This is what is called contract work in the organized sector.
6.The contractor system is most visible in the hiring of casual labour for work on construction sites, brickyards and so on. The contractor goes to villages and asks if people want work. He will loan them some money. This loan includes the cost of transport of the work side.
7.The loaned money is treated as an advance wages and the worker works without wages until the loan is repaid. In the past, agricultural  labourers were tied to their landlord by debt. Now, however, by moving to casual industrial work, while they are still in debt, they are not bound by other social obligations to the contractor. In that sense, they are more free in an industrial society. They can break the contract and find another employer. Sometimes, whole families migrate and the children help their parents.
8.Presently social composition of the work force in industry is concerned, people from all caste and both gender from the age group of fifteen to sixty work. Some regions of the country are having more industry than the other.
9.Different workers have different working period in different industries according to their qualification, experience, age and risk of the job. The contract  labourers get fixed amount as per the terms and conditions of contract. In organized sector, pay and allowances are better than the unorganized sector.
10.The government has passed number of rules to regulate working conditions. The Mines Act 1952 specifies the maximum number of hours a person can be made to work in a week, they need to pay overtime for any extra hours worked and safety rules. These rules may be followed in the big companies, but not in smaller mines ‘ and quarries. Moreover, sub-contracting is widespread.
11.Workers in underground mines face very dangerous conditions, due to flooding, fire, the collapse of roofs and sides, the emission of gases and ventilation failures. Many workers develop breathing problems and diseases like tuberculosis and silicosis.

Q2.In the account of brick making, bidi rolling, software engineers or mines that are described in the boxes, describe the social composition of the workers. What are the working conditions and facilities available? How do girls like Madhu feel about their work?
Answer. Social institution like caste, kinship, networks, gender and regions also influence the way the work is organized or the way in which products are marketed.
•In certain jobs and departments we find more women working than the men. For example, they are working more in numbers in nursing or teaching jobs than in other sectors like engineering.
•In India, over 90% of the work, whether it is in agriculture, industry or services is in the unorganized or informal sector.
•Very few people have the experience of employment in large firms where they get to meet people from other regions and backgrounds.
•Urban settings do provide some corrective to this your neighbours in a city may be from a different place – by and large, work for most Indians is still in small-scale workplaces.
•Nearly 60% were employed in the primary sector (agriculture and mining), 17% in the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction and utilities), and 23% in the tertiary sector (trade, transport, financial services, etc.).
•The share of agriculture has declined sharply, and services contribute approximately half. This is a very serious situation because it means that the sector where the maximum people are employed is not able to generate much income for them.
•India is still largely an agricultural country. The service sector – shops, banks, the IT industry, hotels and other services are employing more people and the urban middle class is growing, along with urban middle class values like those we see in television serials and films.
•But we also see that very few people in India have access to secure jobs, with even the small number in regular salaried employment becoming more insecure due to the rise in contract labour.
•Employment by the government was a major avenue for increasing the well-being of the population, but now even that is coming  down.
•Girls like Madhu enjoy their work of rolling of  bidis and filling of tobacco rolled tendu leaves.
•They get opportunity to sit close to their family members and other women and listen to their chat. They spend most of their time in  work in factory of bidis.
•Due to long hours of sitting in the same posture daily, they suffer from backache. Madhu wants to restart her schooling.

Q3.How has liberalisation attacked employment patterns in India?
Answer. Due to liberalization foreign products are now easily available in Indian markets and shops. Due to this some of the labour have to loose their employment and jobs.
•Many Indian companies have been taken over by multinationals. At the same time some Indian companies are becoming multinational companies. An instance of the first is when, Parle drinks was bought by Coca Cola. ‘
•The next major area of liberalization may be in retail. Due to coming of foreign companies and big business. Indian houses very small traders, shopkeepers, handicraft sellers. And hawkers have lost their jobs of employment or their small business is adversely affected by big mall, showroom or Reliance, Subhiksha, etc.
•The world’s largest chains, including Wal-Mart Stores, Carrefour and TESCO, are seeking the best way to enter the country, despite a government ban on foreign direct investment in  the market.
•Wal-Mart, Carrefour and TESCO to set up a retailing joint venture …India’s retail sector is attractive not only because of its fast growth, but because family-run street comer stores have 97% of the nation’s business. But this industry trait is precisely why the government makes it hard for foreigners to enter the market.
•The government is trying to sell its share in several public sector companies, a process which is known as disinvestment. Many government workers are scared that after disinvestment, they will lose their jobs.
•Companies are reducing the number of permanent employees and outsourcing their work to smaller companies or even to homes. For multinational companies, this outsourcing is done across the globe, with developing countries like India providing cheap labour. It is more difficult for trade unions to organize in smaller firms.

Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Read the passage given and answer the questions:
The harsh working conditions suffered by laboureres in Aghanbigha were an outcome of the combined effect ofthe economic power of the maliks as a class and their overwhelming power as members of a dominant caste. A significant aspect of the social power of the maliks was their ability to secure the intervention of various arms of the state to advance their interests. Thus, political factors decissively contributed to widening the gulf between the dominant class and the underclass.
(i)Why do you think the maliks were able to use the power of the state to advance their own interests?
(ii) Why did labourers have harsh working conditions?
Answer. (i) (a) The maliks being dominant caste were very powerful politically, economically and socially.
(b)Because of power they were able to use the power of state for their vested interests.
(c)They were successfully able to secure the intervention of various arms of the state for their own benefit.
(ii)The labour have been working under harsh conditions because being dalits, they were not allowed to own land and compelled to work in the lands of dominant caste people as a labourer.

Q2. What measures do you think the government has taken, or should take, to protect the rights of landless agricultural labourers and migrant workers?
Answer. Measures to protect the right of Landless:
•Abolition of bonded labour legally:
Bandhua mazdoor (bonded labourers) practice in U.P and Bihar, Halpati System in Gujarat and Jeeta System in Karnataka has been legally abolished by Government of India.
•Abolition of Zamindari System: The intermediaries between the peasants and the state were the Zamindars. The state very effectively and intensively passed legislation and this system was abolished.
• Abolition and regulation act for Tenancy:
These laws discouraged tenancy or ‘Batai’ system. In West Bengal and Kerala, where CPI systems government was in power the tenants got the land rights.
•Imposition of Land Ceiling Act:
According to this act the upper limit of land for an owner is being fixed. Because of this act to identify surplus land and redistribute among the landless became programme of the state. Binoba Bhave’s Bhoodan yojna instructed this legislation but there are many shortcomings in this act and should be taken care of.
•To improve the condition of landless people living in villages the state should take appropriate measures and this whole sector should be organised.
•The economic conditions of villages should be improved by the state. Villages should be well connected to the ties, job opportunities should be creaked in the villages. Education and health facilities as well as entertainment facilities should be developed in the villages to discourage migration. MANREGA is an effective measure in this duration.
•Consolidation of Land: Landowner farmers are given one or two bigger piece of land in lieu of their several scattered small fields. It may be done as voluntary consolidation or as compulsory consolidation. This can bring about lot of efficiencies in agriculture process as a farmer.

Q3. There are direct linkages between the situation of agricultural workers and then- lack of upward socio-economic mobility. Name some of them.
Answer. • Indian rural society is totally dependent on agriculture. It is the only source of their livelihood. Unfortunately it is unevenly distributed, not organised and many people of ruralSociety are landless.
•Indian rural society has patrilineal kinship system. According to legal system women are supposed to have an equal right of family property but actually it is simply on papers. Because of male dominance, they are deprived of their rights.
•Most of the people in villages are landless and for their livelihood they become agriculture workers. They are paid below the statutory minimum wages. Their job is not regular and employment is insecure. Mostly these agriculture workers work on daily wages.
•The tenants also have lower income because they have to pay a large amount of production to the landowner.
•The ownership of land or its total area determines the position of the farmers upward or downward mobility in his socio-economic system. Therefore the agrarian society can be understood in terms of its class structure which is structured through Caste system.
Although this is not always true. In rural society Brahmins are the dominant caste but they are not main landowners so they are part of rural society but fall outside the agrarian structure.These questions are based on Self-Study. Students should do them solves.

Textbook Question And Answer:

Q1.Interest groups are part and parcel of a functioning democracy. Discuss.
Answer.

• Interest groups are organised to pursue specific interest in the political arena,
  operating primarily by lobbying the members of the legislative bodies.
• When certain groups feel that their interests are not being taken up, they may move to form an alternative party.
• Democracy is a form of government for the people, by the people and of the people. In this system interest groups are formed for specific interest.
• Interest groups are private organisation. They are formed to influence public policy.
• These are non political systems and their main goal are to take care of their own interest.
• Political parties are established organisations with the aim of achieving governmental power and using that power to pursue a specific programme. Different interest groups will work towards influencing political parties.
• These organisations are regarded as movements until they achieve recognition.
• The interest groups play a significant role in Indian democracy and they perform various important functions such as:

(a)Formation of Public Opinion: Using various forms of propaganda and communication, they mould public opinion. To get goodwill of public opinion and change in administrative system in their own favour they use T.V., radio, Email and various forms of social media, twitter and face book.
(b)Function at the time of Natural Disaster: These interest groups provide help during natural calamity like Himalayans Tsunami at Kedamath or earthquakes etc. By doing such social activities they get public attention and favour and they influence the government.

Q2. Read the snippets from the debates held in the Constituent Assembly. Identify the interest groups. Discuss what kind of interest groups exist in contemporary India. How do they function?
Answer. Snippets from the debates
•K.T. Shah said that the right to use full employment could and should be made real by a categoric obligation on the part of the state to provide useful work to every citizen who was able and qualified.
•B. Das spoke against classifying the functions of the government as justiciable and non-justiciable. “I think it is the primary duty of Government to remove hunger and render social justice to every citizen and to secure social security…”. The teeming millions do not find any hope that the Union Constitution… will ensure them freedom from hunger, will secure them social justice, will ensure them a minimum standard of living and a minimum standard of public health”.
Ambedkar’s answer was as follows:
•“The Draft Constitution as framed only provides a machinery for the government of the country. It is not a controversy to install any particular party in power as has done in some countries. Who should be in power is left to be determined by the
people, as it must be, if the system is to satisfy the tests of democracy.
•On land reform Nehru said, that social forces were such that law could not stand in the way of reforms, interesting reflection on the dynamic between the two. “If law and Parliament do not fit themselves into the changing picture, they cannot control the situation”.
On the protection of the tribal people and their interests, leaders like Jaipal Singh
were assured by Nehru in the following words during the Constituent Assembly „ debates: “It is our intention and our fixed desire to help them as possible; in as
efficient a way as possible to protect them from possibly their rapacious neighbours occasionally and to make them advance”.
•Even as the Constituent Assembly adopted the title Directive Principles of State Policy to the rights that courts could not enforce, additional principles were added with unanimous acceptance. These included K. Santhanam’s clause that the state shall organise village punchayats and endow them with the powers and authority to be effective units of local self government.
•T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar added the clause for promotion of cottage industries on co-operative lines in rural areas. Veteran parlimentarian Thakurdas Bhargava added that the state should organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modem
•lines.
• Interest groups are people outside the government who support the political parties to gain favours from them when they are in power. These are private organisation formed to influence public policy. They are non political groups whose main aim is to uphold their own interest.Political parties are not political parties. In India interest groups adopt two methods i.e. to influence the legislative committees and to help people at the time of natural calamity.
•In contemporary India ASSOCHAM, FICCI, Labour Unions, Student’s union,Farmers union, women’s organisations are example of pressure group and interest groups.

Q3. Create a ‘phad’ or a scroll with your own mandate when standing for school election.(This could be done in small group of 5, like a panchayat).
Answer. Being member of school Panchayat we will focus on following areas:
•Panchayat members will try to inculcate self discipline among students. Being students we will function as a role model for rest of the students.
•Being co-educational school, we will create an environment where girls get respect
and security so that indirectly we will provide a solid base for a healthy society.
•We will take care of developing a system, through which students develop habit of self study and special coaching for professional courses may be arranged in the school.
•Panchayat will take care of special children and remedial teaching for them.
•Panchayat will coordinate with the Principal and may function as a pressure group to take care of proper student-teacher ratio, admission policy of the school, proper uniform, distribution of mid-day- meal etc.
•Panchayat will also coordinate with the Principal and Managing staff to take care
of games, sports, co-curricular activities and use of technology in school education.

Q4. Have you heard of Bal Panchayats and Mazdoor Kissan Sanghathan? If not, find out and write a note about them in about 200 words.
Answer. Bal Panchayat: My school follows a prefectoral system. The school has four houses. ,From each house, the house masters and the house children elect five prefects on the basis of their academic performances, leadership traits and their antecedents regarding .contribution for the curricular and co-curricular activities of the house. The principal,teachers and 20 prefects elect head boy of the school.
The head boy functions as a prototype of the school. He/she is responsible for discipline, school environment, curricular and co-curricular activities, social interaction particularly with the other schools and is accountable for student’s activities in the school.
The head boy particularly coordinates with the principal, headmasters, and house masters with the help of 20 prefects and helps in proper functioning of school buses, maintenance of assets, school fields, taking care of school property and by and large school discipline.
Mazdoor Sanghathan: In 1920, first All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was established.
•It was initiated by the congress but in 1929 hijacked by the communists.
•Indian Trade Union Congress (INTUC) untraced by the congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha organised by the socialists and Bhartiya Mazdoor Sabha linked with Bhartiya Janta Party earlier Jan Sangh.
These trade unions played a very significant role in the recruitment, wage policy, functioning, living conditions, hire and fire policy and by and large developing a political and social awareness among the workers.
Kissan Sanghthan: India is a country of villages. Even today 75% of Indian population is living in villages and depends on agriculture
Earlier this population was not politically aware with their rights. They were very much traditional and attached to their customs and rituals but due to congress and communists now the kissans of India are politically very mature, are aware with their strength and providing strong base to Indian democracy. This is very much proved in 2014 election when these peasants voted for a stable government breaking the caste, class and region bondings.
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel took initiates in 1936 congress session at Lucknow and All India Kissan Sabha was established but due to caste and class conflict it could not function. Later CPI activists took command of Kissan Sabha. Many Kissan organisations emerged in India after independence. The socialists established Hind Kissan Panchayat and instead the Kissan Sabha by Marxist. The communist party of India (Marxists) established revolutionary peasants convention in 1967. This organisation gave lead to Naxalbari movement in West Bengal.
•Due to the motivative of Shri Raj Narain and Choudhary Char an Singh in 1978 formed the All India Kissan Kamgar Sammelan. Many politicians and farmers like Shri Mahinder Singh Tikkait tried to organise the Kissans of India but even now this peasant group of India is not a well organised pressure group.

Q5.The 73rd amendment has been monumental in bringing a voice to the people in the Villages. Discuss.
Answer. The 73rd amendment has been monumental in bringing a voice to the people in the villages because this amendment is related to the directive principles of the state policy and panchayati raj.
The amendment is based on the principle of power of the people and provides . constitutional guarantee to the Panchayats.
Main features of the Act:
•Recognition to Panchayats, as institutions of self government.
•Panchayat’s power and responsibilities to prepare a plan for economic development and social justice.
•Establishment of uniform 3 tier system of strong Panchayats at village, block and district levels for all states having a population of over 20 lakhs.
•The Act provides guidelines for the structure powers and functions, finance and elections and reservation of seats for the weaker sections of the given area.
Importance of the Act:
•It was a revolutionary step towards establishing grassroot democracy.
•All the states have passed legislation on the basis of guidelines and provision of the amendments.
•Because of this act Panchayati Raj System at grassroot level became a reality.

Q6. Write an essay on the ways that the Indian Constitution touches peoples’ everyday life, drawing upon different examples.
Answer. • Indian constitution has given a democratic system to all of us.
•Democracy is a government for the people, of the people and by the people. It is not limited to political freedom or economic and social justice. It is also about equal rights to all respective of caste, creed, race and gender.
•Indian constitution has established Secularism. We have respect for all the religions and all the Indians have fundamental right to have faith in their own religion. Indian constitution provides equal rights to minority communities by extending friendly relationship and all sort of support system to them.
•India is a welfare state and a Sociologist patronise society. It is our duty to protect public and national property. We all have equal opportunities to make use of resources and put our best effort for economic development.
•Indian constitution provides social, political and economic justice and equality to all citizens of India. Therefore it is our duty to support the government to participate in activity of government programmes like population control, smallpox, Malaria or Pulse Polio Programmes. Food Security Bill, Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE) and efforts for women empowerment are few major efforts made by the government to strengthen Indian democracy.