The Villages of India: Through an Indian Perspective

In this article, Himanshu Kumar and Vivek Kumar say that a new tradition of scholarship must evolve to understand the village systems at the conceptual and theoretical levels. The way rural and village has been historically interpreted and understood needs refinement as the colonial imprint has distorted the existing fabric of the rural social systems. Agriculture, peasantry, land use, social systems and infrastructure, and indigenous technical knowledge systems need a more profound understanding of structural-functional and comparative analysis approaches

- Himanshu Kumar and Vivek Kumar

The Colonial Imprint

India has a vibrant cultural, geographical, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, precisely a hotspot of biological and cultural diversity. At its heart, reside India’s people, making this vast country an excellent example of growth, development, coexistence, and harmony. However, the country was subjected to a gruesome 200-odd year of colonialization filled with brutality and exploitation, leading to the breaking up of this beautiful nation and after years of constant struggle, bloodbath, and of course, non-violence spearheaded by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, and finally, we attained Independence in 1947. The colonial years led to a complete transformation of the nation—socially, economically, and environmentally; the British did loot not only the physical treasures of the country but also looted the invaluable intellect and knowledge systems existing in the country, ample evidence of which has been documented by Dharampal.