Dominant Caste System in Rural India

Abstract

About 70 per cent of the Indian population live in the villages where the caste-based socialstructure is very strong. The primary source of income of the people in the villages is land. Thosewho own land dominate the rural social structure. In most of the land is traditionallymonopolized by the forward castes. In some areas the traditional backward castes, which haveattained upward mobility, also own land. These upper backward castes are also called Kulak class.The land owning caste is the dominant caste and the members of other castes work as agriculturallabourers. The dependent castes have to depend on the dominant caste for their livelihood andsurvival. In the study area of Bihar where five villages have been taken for intensive study, thedominant caste system as enunciated by M.N. Srinivas is clearly evident. The dominant caste hasdominance in the areas of land ownership, education, occupation and in the rural political powerstructure. The study shows that caste-class congruence is apparent in the rural social and politicalpower structure. Economic power coupled with numerical strength and power of coercion are.important for establishing dominance in the villages. Here, the dominant caste system perpetuatesclass oppression and exploitation of the weaker sections in the rural areas.