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The process of social transformation in India has been conceived through transition of various aspects of society – structure, culture, institution, ideology etc. The objectives of social transformation in India as envisaged ideologically could be characterized as ‘revolutionary’ in content and ‘evolutionary’ in strategy.
The leaders of Indian freedom movement envisaged how social structure, history and tradition which form the initial condition of society, set a limit to the strategies, goals and methods of social transformation.
Gandhiji was foremost in his thinking in this regard. Nehru completed this process by evolving a model for Indian path to social transformation. It recognized that revolutionary changes in institutions, social structures and values of Indian society were essential if social change was to be brought about through democratic participation.
The model of social transformation that India gave to itself is contained in the Constitution. It lays down the normative principles which are the overriding elements in the entire strategy for social change.
Its emphasis of parliamentary democracy, justice, freedom and equality comprise the fundamental values to which all other process of social change – the economic, social and cultural should be subordinated.
Democracy, equality and freedom are revolutionary ideas. To realize these ideals human resources need to be generated which take time being essentially evolutionary in nature.
The social transformation envisaged through the Indian Constitution is pluralistic and voluntaristic with the state having the crucial role of setting norms and evolving the policies.
The dynamic movement by the Government and the State on the one hand and by the people and their organized bodies (either voluntary association or as political parties) on the other, form the strategy of this social transformation.
Initial conditions of Social Change:
The processes of restructuration in Indian society have been set into motion under specific historical contexts of public policy and national ideology. Historical forces define the initial social conditions. From these conditions the processes of social transformation and restructuration began in India. The main feature of social condition has been the principles of inter-structural autonomy in the social system.
The main structures concerned are the social stratification, political system and the cultural ideology. Caste comprises the central principle of social transformation and traditionally it enjoyed great deal of internal autonomy. The process of social change ushered in by the British rule set into motion social and cultural dynamics that started reorganization of structural pattern of traditional Indian society.
The inter-structural autonomy of the social components in the traditional Indian society has deeply influenced the nature and direction of social change. Their role could be evaluated through various stages of historical transformation. The first stage coincided with the beginning of the Western contact through British rule. The western contact through the British rule set the pace for cultural renaissance, initial industrialization and growth of new political consciousness.
These forces brought about major changes in the Indian society, specially in the areas of institution-building for a civic society such as the growth of modern education and judicial-administrative structures. Indian society was marked paradoxically by a process of de-industrialization and realizations of economy on the one hand. On the other hand, it was marked by the emergence of colonial mode of industrialization and modernization on the other.
These innovations convulsed the traditional social structure, led to downward mobility of several privileged classes. These innovations also led to selective upward mobility of other s drawn from the traditional business classes, literati and feudal nobility. This mobility created new classes of educationists, administrators, company agents, businessmen and others. These classes took advantage of the opportunities available in the early phases of colonial transformation.
The emergence of these social groups along with cultural awakening and reform movements in various parts of the country prepared the ground for political awareness and national movement. A strategy not only for political independence but social, economic and cultural modernization of the society was evolved. But the process of change, however, had a segmentary character.
It did not affect the large parts of rural peasantry, working classes the scheduled castes and Tribes possibly; the inter-structural autonomy of Indian society was responsible for this. Only selective modernization could take place in India. Massive areas of society remained untouched from the processes of social change.
The process of change could start and filter down without major breakdown in the social structure and without the loss of cultural identity.
The Strategy of Social Transformation after Independence:
The strategy of social change after independence underwent fundamental changes. The State took the responsibility of conscious planning of social transformation its objectives were the creation of a society based on democratic political participation, social justice and cultural and religious pluralism within the framework of a secular State. A policy framework was introduced which meant the abolition of age-old principles of inter-structural autonomy in the Indian Society.
The principles of inequality based on caste, birth, religion and sex were in normative sense, derecognized if not successfully abolished. In some areas, the policy of change began to show immediate results. These were electoral politics, industrial and economic expansion, agrarian reforms etc. This was compounded by abolition of intermediary rights in land, introduction of Panchayati Raj and community development schemes in village. The rural areas were thus exposed to major forces of social change.
However, the nature of social change in India’s villages during the 1950’s and 1960s indicates uneven impact on its social structure. The benefits of extension work in agriculture, irrigation, credit and cooperatives were monopolized by the traditional upper caste rich strata. Social mobility during the first two decades after impendence was slow and mainly confined to upper castes and classes.
Similar process had been taking place in urban centres. The urban change during this period has been termed as over-urbanization. The increase in entrepreneurship and industrial investment was confined to the upper classes.
Thus, the changes during the first two decades after independence were also segmentary as in the past. There were, however, some major differences, particularly, the scope and potential of social transformation now was much larger.
It had assumed a. truly structural dimension engulfing the whole of society. Grater political participation, exposure to media led to new social and political awareness. The cumulative results of various social forces along with major investments in science and technology, in agriculture, industry and health etc. have shown results during the 1970s and 1980s. In urban-industrial domain a new mercantile entrepreneurial class has emerged.