Nature of Indian Society

Sub Point :Nature of Indian society

Indian society has its own uniqueness in terms of beliefs, traditions, customs, constitutional right, norms, religion ,castes etc…Every society has its own history. It inherits something from its past and that influences its present the same as Indian society has its own history .In order to understand Indian society we should comprehend every aspects of Indian society including its social structure, caste structure, economy, Stratification etc. one by one which are as under.

1] Social structure

The social structure of traditional society was based mainly on the hereditary principle. The members were divided in to hereditary caste groups each with its traditional occupation. People were living together under some roof that means there were living in joint family system. In the ancient period of Indian history, people wanted to attain self realization it was their spiritual goal, and the Indian society is an agriculture society. Agriculture was the main profession in ancient Indian society .Religion has been playing an important role in Indian society. In the democratic Indian society Secularism also become an important part wherein we everyone is free follow his own religion. The forces of modernizations have tended to break the traditional Indian joint family and today we can not find the orthodox nature of Indian society excepting few villages.

2] Caste based structure

The Indian society has differentiated in to hierarchical social order of several castes. The classification of castes in Hinduism mainly based on the hierarchical social order of castes- Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya and sudra arranged in a descending order of status. Members in each caste –group followed the same hereditary occupation and were socio economically homogeneous and the members of each caste should marry in their own caste. Even though there was caste stratification, people took education from different schools. The class stratification is found even now in almost every Indian community but the rigidity varies from community. We notice the decreasing rigidity in terms of caste everybody’s upliftment only because of education .today no doubt castes inherits in community though people are living together and develop themselves.

3] Multi religious

Indian society is a multi-religious society and every religion has its own importance in Indian society. Indian society is an amalgam of different religious including Hindu, muslim, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhis, Jains, Parsi etc…And all these religious are tied by the thread of democracy and all are living together in harmony and enrich the Indian society.

4] Unilingual or Multilingual society

Indian society is multi cultural society because Indian society accepted every religions and their culture so people have different languages as per their culture. Eg. Hindus speaking Gujarati, a Muslim is speaking Hindi A Bengali has his own Bengali language etc. So Indian society became multilingual society but there is a common language for mutual communication between all i.e. Hindi which is a national language of Indian society .Now English language becomes a link language which joins the people of different states. E.g. Every Indian has at least three or four language skills

5] Multi-cultural society

 In Indian society different religious, linguistic, caste, and class groups have their own culture eg along with Indian culture, Gujarati and Marathi cultures, Hindu and Muslim cultures, urban and rural cultures upper and middle class cultures etc. exist in Indian society is multi cultural society and heterogeneous society in terms of heterogeneous cultures exist in it. Although all are living with harmony and peace.

6] Democratic society

Indian society is democratic society wherein everyone has an equal right to live in society. Everyone is free to follow any religion she/he likes. The system, of government of India is democratic in which all the people of a country can vote to elect their representatives through Indian society is multi cultural all are following the rules and regulations of Indian society and live together.

Justice, equality, brotherhood and liberty are the four pillars of Indian constitution and one should know there four values in order to understand Indian democracy.

7] Developing Economy

In the ancient time, the economy of Indian society was a simple and subsistence economy because it was agricultural society, so everyone’s earning was mainly based on agricultural, Handicrafts, and small trade. The production of the goods and serviced was mainly for the consumption and not for the market. As the time passes Indian economy develop day by day. Modern Indian society is a developing society with the help of developed science and terchnology, economy has become a large scale economy with rural-urban and national as well as international lineages. today we see the impact of liberalisation ,privatization and globalisation on Indian economy and because of this we find the expansion in trade and commerce and business.

8] Status of women

In ancient Indian society women were considered as second sex and their status was lower than that of man. Women only played a role of a housewife and took care of their children, Husband and other family members. In family parents gave more importance to males and they opposed to send their daughters to school after they have reach the age of puberty. They believed that women are born only for playing the role of housewife.

 They give first preference to their male children/ sons. In every activities men were lagging behind because of rigid beliefs existed in ancient Indian society. IN modern Indian society, a good deal of change occurred .Now women are as equal as males. The best example of it is –along with the co-educational institutions, the schools and colleges for only girls have come in to existence. Ion family women have given important place as a mother and as a daughter. She gets higher education and she has been able to enter in to spheres of occupational activities. And in many field women play a role as a role model for alleg Kiran Bedi, an honourable public Inspector.

9] Educational heritage

In ancient Indian society, there was Gurukul system of education. Students got education in ashrams and they lived in huts along with their guru. Guru was considered as their teacher and they were called as Shishyas four or five years of their age they went to take education in ashrams and they got education almost 19 or 20 years then they returned to their home. This was the main system of ancient India but after the arrival of britishers and under their authority the ancient ashrams turned in to open schools and students got the formal education   in school. After ruined of bitishers

Subsystems of Society

Subsystem of society/Dimension of Society

1.   Cultural Dimension:

Culture affects the society. Every society has its own culture and it is based on some rules and regulation. Members of society decide moral values which are to be followed by all in society. As we know people know by their culture. So it becomes very important in society. Which helps in decide every people ideas in their lives and it creates new ideas also. So we can not separate culture from society because they are inter-related.

2. Religion:

Religion provides guideline is a society. People believe in different society though they are living together because they know the value of unity. Religion makes them aware about no difference between men of different religions. It helps in set goals and ideas of people in society. Religion helps people in decide philosophy in their lives and its become societies philosophy. People construct beliefs, thoughts with the help of religion and thus it helps in building spiritual society. Religion makes them familiar with how to live and how to behave with others and it provides knowledge about life and major difference between moksh and living life. So religion influences the society and it contributes in the development of the society.

3. Economy:

Economy measures the standard of living. As per the capita income or individuals’ income society is constructed e.g. as we find upper class, middle class and lower class societies. People live per their income so their requirements are fulfilled only if they earn as per their requirements and savings. Thus economy decides class in society and it contributes to the development of society. E.g. the enlistment of information technology in our society. We make people’s live luxurious life with other technologies.

                      

4. Politics :

Politics is also one of the important dimensions which governs society. Politics frame rules and regulations of different societies. Politics helps people is get comfort in their lives. Every political leader has an aim of service to the people. Politics maintains unity in society. And sometimes it plays an important role in division of country. On the while politics govern on country in which there are different societies and it is there for the welfare of the people who dwell in society. So politics also affects the society and a political leader is coming from a society, who does service for others.

5. Education:

Education plays a major role in building society. Everyone gets education for survival and they learn how to behave, how to live, how to adjust themselves in society. Education nurtures in them all language skills, social skills. People get knowledge only from education and so they are different way of thinking creatively etc. Education changes people’s mind and so they live with different norms, culture, traditions, beliefs and thus society become dynamics. Education makes people aware how to live, how to inculcate values, how to manage everything and so people correspond with each other and expand their relations in different cultures. Thus they are come in contact with the whole nation. So education is the basic thing to live life for the people and its contributes in one and all factors of society, and gives society a different outlook. It covers everything and moulds people life.

Concept of Society and it's Characteristics

Education and society

Concept of society

Society is the fellow feeling, co-operation friendship and sympathy among two or more persons who live together with common feelings, bonds and aspirations. Thus, Society is an organization of persons which guarantees security to the members of their individuality and existence. Society is a dynamic entity. Social entity or society has its own political, economical, cultural and religious ideologies according to which it provides more opportunities to develop each individual in the society.

By nature man is social. His whole life is a gift of society. He has learnt speech, reading, writing and behaving with others from the society. He is indebted to society for his life and development. An individual, isolated completely from society, will not survive for long.

The following points can also be used to explain the concept of Society

 Generally people living together in communities’ .They have same/common life-style, attitude, heritage, common aim, norms, and religion. We are living in a particular society where in we follow rules and regulations, and customs. We have our own purpose, set of aims and religion. We know that a group of people living together is also a society. It does not matter that they have different religion, beliefs and purposes.

Let’s understand in brief the difference between society and community

Community is the combination of two words ’Com’ and Munis’ While com means together and Munis means to serve. It means to serve together. It is a place where people live close to one another in the place where distance they follow the same rules and regulation customs, etc..It is a kind of society. Society is a broad term and community is a kind of it. One sociologist defined community in this way.”A community is the smallest group of territory that embraces all the aspects of society” Dimensions of the society builds a system in the society.

Definitions 

1] Happies

“A society is a kind of community whose members have become socially conscious of their mode of life and united by common sets of aims and values”

Key words: Community, socially conscious, common sets of aims and values

Happies considered society as a community wherein people are aware about their way of living life. They are socially integrated and they have common aims and values. Although, they are different in nature and thought they are united and their integration is nothing but society.

2] Maciver

“Society is the web of social relationship and it is always changing”

¡  Key Words: Web of relationship, changing

¡  In Society we observe people are united with different relation to the members of the society. The moment you joined new community your relation would be changed. There are many relations like friend, brother, sister, uncle which tie people emotionally as well as socially. But these relations are changing because of people‘s different thinking and having different values and aim. But they live together in a form of society so that MacIver called society as the web of social relationships.

3] “It is not a group of people. It is a system of relationship that exists between the individuals of group”                                                                               -Wright

Key words: Group people, system of relation

According to Wrright every individual has relationship with other individuals. They interact with each other which leads to reflection, sharing and thinking amongst them and they decide common aim. They live with harmony only if they have good relations so society is a system of relations of the group.

4] “Society is the union itself, the organization, the sum of formal relations in which associating individuals are bound together”                                              Gidding

Key words: organization, formal relations, individual are bound together

Gidding again pointed out the relationship between individual but these relation are formal by nature that means every individuals is not brother of sister of others but they have that kind of understanding and so they live together and that’s why Gidding suggested society is the union or the organization of individuals. And this integration of individuals is the outcome of their friendly relations.

Note: To explain all the definitions you will quote the example.

Characteristics of society    

1] In society we can find commonness in terms of peoples understanding, their aims, their life style and responsibilities.

2] A society is based on social relationship so people live together in communities there are social rules and regulations which should be followed by all members of society.

3] There is a sense of belongingness between members of society. They live together with a sense of oneness. So unity is the major characteristic of a society. The proverb suggests birds of a feathered flock together.

4. In a society people live with the feeling co- operate that means they co- operate others and help others.

5. Division of labors and social rules.

Ina society everyone has a particular duty to perform as per his level, caste and education, eg, sweepers usually clean the streets. So we can find assigning duties or job or work.

6. Diversity: As it said unity in diversity yes it is there in Indian society. People of different religion, culture live together a society but we can also find diversity in terms of different values, beliefs, life styles and language economy etc. though we are united in diversity.

7. Dynamic: As life is dynamic everything change in society one generation after another generation. So there is change in everything including life style economy language culture way of believing in god different religions, economy and so on .So society is dynamic.

8. Competition: Various types of competition has been found in society every field of survival in the society.

9. Conflict: There are conflict lie in between two neighbors, or for the requirements of justice etc...so there are conflicts both positive and negative. eg environmental organization and global warming are the universal conflict for all societies.