Traditional Caste Panchayat and Aspects of Social Movement- A Micro Study in Eastern Midnapur (An Old and Rare Book)

The author highlights the changes in traditional caste panchayat system due to modernization, industrialization, urbanization development of communication, growth of new ideology as well as introduction of various legislative Acts and social movement corroborated with the statutory panchayat system. The Institution of Panchayat System has been undergoing rapid transformation. The study revealed that traditions are slowly breaking down in some cases under modern conditions, due to migration of the caste people from one area to another in search of jobs changes in the village organizations and impact of the heterogeneity of most villages in modern times. Moreover, the code of conduct in regulating the behaviour of the caste members is also gradually changing with the impact of modest forms of values, norms and ideology etc.

The researcher studied the nature of Social movements of some castes in Eastern Midnapore. The castes selected for this study are: Poundra-Khatriya (Pod), Raj Banshi (Fisherman) and Namasudra (Chandal). All these are belonged to lower stratum of society.

Constitutional and legislative measures as well as various social movements also influenced the people in a great way to change their earlier attitudes, beliefs and faith. The structures of the society as well as mechanism of social control have undergone a change to a considerable extent.

Dr. Narayan Chandra Maiti was born on 1" day of March, 1947 in Tamluk Sub division of the then undivided Midnapur. He obtained his Hons, and M.A. Degree in Political Science from the University of Calcutta in the year 1967 and 1969 respectively. He Passed LL. B. Examination from the same university in the year 1972. He was awarded Ph. D Degree in Anthropology on Traditional caste panchayat and aspects of Social Movements from the University of Calcutta in 1994. He started his carrier as a Lecturer of Political Science in Purashkanpur Haridas Nandi Mahavidyalaya, Howrah from 09.12.1971 to 06.07.1982 and later on he joined in Mahishadal Raj College, Purba Medinipur from 07.07.1982 to 31.07.1995 as Sr. Lecturer in Political Science. Subsequently he joined as Principal in Mahishadal Girls' College, Purba Medinipur on 01.08.1995 and till continuing in the said post with good reputation. Simultaneously he is also running a Minor Research Project on 'Commercial Sex workers-An unprotected sex and alarming consequences of AIDS' under the University Grants Commission. He also completed Refresher Course of NSS at I.I.T., Kharagpur in the year 1996, He completed Orientation Programme in Planning and Management of Principals of Colleges from September 18 to October 04 at NIEPA, New Delhi. Attended the 5 National Conference of Indian College Forum held on 4-6 October, 1997.Participated in the National Conference of College Principals at Symbiosis College, Pune on December, 1999 and the Leadership Development Programme for Principals of Colleges on I.T. for development of Colleges at New Delhi in the year 2000.

He attended the 9" ICF National Conference at Jaipur in the year 2001. He also participated in the National Seminar on Academy of Business Administration at Balasore, Orissa in the year 2003.

Dr. Maiti is associated with various Voluntary Organizations and Established himself as a good Social Worker for the development of society as a whole. He is well known as an academician as well as a good social worker.

Among the institutions which have attracted the attention of most scholars -both in India and abroad - the nature and role of caste in India as a social control mechanism and as a mechanism for maintaining social hierarchy has been the subject of most heated controversy. Caste as a regulatory body of individuals used to control their activities from cradle to death, accorded a particular status to them and fixed the value orientations and world outlook for the people belonging to their categories.

The mechanism through which such control was exercised at the micro level was the caste panchayat operating as the ground level organisation regulating individual life and activities. These caste panchayats used to control all the activities of the people belonging to the caste. But, as some sociologists have shown, the Panchayat of the dominant caste used to control the activities of the entire village also and was virtually synonymous with the village Panchayat.

The study is based on the traditional caste-ridden hierarchical social order in which the life and activities of caste members were governed by caste rules and regulations framed by the Governing Body of the Caste, known as Caste Panchayat. But with the passage of time, many changes have taken place in the social milieu through modernism, introduction of Western education, industrialization, urbanization etc. Constitutional and Legislative measures as well as various social movements also influenced the people, particularly the lower classes in a great way to change their earlier attitudes, beliefs and faiths. In consequence, the structures of the society as well as mechanism of social control have also undergone a change to a considerable extent. Notwithstanding the fact that s t some aspects of their social institutions withstood the onslaughts of such changes, of course not without conflict between traditionalism and modernism, they still somehow exist.

India is highly diversified, socially and culturally. This diversification in respect of its physical features, ecology and environment have had tremendous impact on the population which inhabit her. The caste-system is a unique feature of the Indian society. This is one of the oldest institutions in our country. Caste and civilisation have always been of great interest of study not only to the foreign scholars, but also to the Indian scholars. The study of the caste-system and the village communities of India has been a subject of considerable interest to many Anthropologists or social scientists. It is fortunate for the Indians that, since the 1950's, the attention of the Indian Anthropologists and foreign scholars has greatly been focussed on the study of the Indian society and culture in a new direction.

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