Modernization Of Indian Tradition By Yogendra Singh Pdf 143
Jalisa Landgren
Singh argues that modernization in India is characterized by three main dimensions: technological, economic, and political. These dimensions interact with the traditional social structure, which is primarily based on the caste system, kinship, and village community. According to Singh, the process of modernization does not lead to the complete disintegration of these traditional structures, but rather to their adaptation and transformation in response to the changing social and economic environment.
For instance, the caste system, which was once a rigid and hierarchical social structure, has undergone significant changes due to modernization. The traditional occupational roles associated with different castes have become less relevant in the modern economy, leading to greater social mobility and a weakening of caste boundaries. However, the caste system has not disappeared entirely, and continues to play a role in Indian society, albeit in a modified form.
Similarly, kinship and village communities have also adapted to the process of modernization. While the traditional joint family system has given way to nuclear families in urban areas, kinship ties continue to be an important source of social support and identity for many Indians. Village communities, too, have undergone changes, with the emergence of new forms of local governance and the integration of rural areas into the national economy.
Modernization is a process associated with the sweeping changes that took place in the society, particularly social, economic, political and cultural changes. It represents substantial breaks with traditional society. Modernization is an idea before it is a process. As it is an idea, there is no agreement among social scientists on its meaning and interpretation. The concept of modernization, emerged as an explanation of how Western countries/ societies developed through capitalism.
Some sociologists make a distinction between social change and modernization in order to assess the nature of change in the traditional Indian society. Though, social change occurred in traditional India. It was essentially pre-modern in nature. One traditional institution was just replaced by the other and no basic structural change took place in social system and culture.
It is apparent from the above that the colonial phase of modernization created wide networks of structure and culture which were modern and had an all India appeal. There was, however, one important feature of Indian modernization during the British-period The growth of this process was selective and segmental. It was not integrated with the micro-structures of Indian society, such as family, caste and village community. At these levels, the British by and large followed a policy of least interference, especially after the rebellion of1857. Moreover, some British administrators were wrongly impressed by the staticness and autonomy of these microstructures compared with the rest of the Indian society. This was especially so about the notion of village community and importance attributed to caste. For a long time caste and ethnic factors were given recognition in recruitment of officers to army and middle and lower ranks of bureaucracy. Later, in the twentieth century, as the nationalist movement gathered momentum, a communal electorate system was introduced. These historical factors have deeply influenced the process of modernization which followed during the post-colonial period. It increased the contingency of traditional institutions and symbolisms to the Indian process of modernization.
After the independence modernization process has undergone some fundamental changes. Every domain of social system is under the active influence of modernizing process. Modernization has, now, become an integral part of the developmental strategy. Now modernization has been envisaged for all levels of cultural and structural systems. Discontinuity in modernization between macro-structures and micro-structures and between the Little and Great traditions, as during the British regime, has now been consciously abolished.
The colonial phase of modernization did not seriously articulate many structural challenges which now with the totalization of this process in free India implies. As segmental nature of modernization becomes encompassing, relevance of structural autonomy ceases to operate as a shock absorber. Changes in political system begin increasingly to impinge upon the system of stratification (caste, class, ethnic communities), and these together create serious stresses for the cultural system as a whole. The cultural pre-requisites of a comprehensive modernization necessitate adaptive changes in the system of values which come in direct confrontation with tradition cultural values and norms. For instance, secularism, untouchability, non-parochialism are some cultural demands of modernization in contemporary India which its traditional value system continues to resist Important trends of social and cultural change in India which are relevant to the process of modernization are,
All Indian social phenomena and realities get their manifestations in these three streams of traditions. Yogendra Singh has identified the key forces of modernization and analyzes their impact on Indian society and tradition. He has tried to bring out the changes which have come as a result of modernization.
The sources of modernization are either internal or endogenous or from outside society. These two sources of modernization need to be analyzed both at the levels of social structures and traditions. The processes of modernization which result in social change are depicted in Figure 1.
According to Yogendra Singh, Hindu society consists of certain traditions which are in fact value themes. Before the emergence of modernization, the Hindu society was based on the following value components:
The Islamic traditions are different from Hindu traditions. Muslims have been inhabiting India from the medieval period. As settlers to this country, they also have had encounter with the process of modernization. Modernization exhibits rational attitude towards issues which are specific to a community.
Islamisation does not have much impact on the modernization of Indian society as both are tradition directed society. He argued that Modernization in India started mainly with the western contact, especially through the establishment of British rule. It brought our far-reaching changes in culture and social structure of Indian society.
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