Society is not only families and castes. It also rests on villages, tribes and the ties that join country to town. Each unit works by its own rules, so one national model rarely fits all.
At a Glance
Four facts to hold on to.
01
Village
India’s basic social unit.
02
Tribe
Organised by clan, kin and common land.
03
Linkage
Trade, migration, remittances.
04
Risk
Tribal displacement by mines and dams.
AdivasiA member of India’s tribal population.
KinshipLineage and marriage ties that set duties.
Simple societyLess specialised division of labour.
Complex societyMany specialised institutions.
In this lesson
Village, Tribe and Kin
Must Know
Three building blocks
- The village has long been India’s basic social unit.
- It has its own land patterns, occupations and local governance.
- Tribal society is organised around clan, kinship and common land, not caste.
- Kinship systems, meaning lineage and marriage, shape duties and inheritance.
- Villages link to towns through trade, migration, remittances and administration.
The numbers
- Census 2011 counted about 6.4 lakh villages.
- About 69% of Indians lived in rural areas then.
- Scheduled Tribes were about 8.6% of the population, over 10 crore people.
- More than 700 tribal communities are notified.
- 75 are listed as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
How scholars studied the village
- M.N. Srinivas wrote “The Remembered Village” from fieldwork in Rampura.
- S.C. Dube’s “Indian Village” (1955) described village life in Telangana.
- The jajmani system tied landowning families to service castes through exchange of goods and labour.
- Robert Redfield spoke of a continuum between folk and urban life.
- Indian scholars used it to see villages as part of a wider civilisation, not isolated islands.
True or False: Adivasi society is organised mainly around caste hierarchy.
Dependence and Displacement
Good to Know
Villages today
- Few villages are fully self-contained.
- They depend on nearby towns for markets, healthcare and education.
- Kinship can shape economic choices, such as who inherits land.
- Mobile phones, roads and bank accounts have linked villages more closely to cities.
- Money sent home by migrants keeps many rural households afloat.
Law and governance
- The 73rd Amendment (1992) gave panchayats constitutional status.
- The PESA Act, 1996 gives gram sabhas in Scheduled Areas a strong role.
- The Fifth Schedule covers tribal areas in most states. The Sixth Schedule covers parts of the North-East.
- The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises forest dwellers’ rights over land and produce.
- The Land Acquisition Act, 2013 requires social impact assessment and rehabilitation.
Tribal displacement
- Mining, dams and forest-policy changes have pushed tribes off ancestral land.
- Researcher Walter Fernandes estimated that development projects displaced at least 21.3 million people between 1951 and 1990.
- Tribals were about 40% of them, though only about 8% of the population.
| Society | Division of labour | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Less specialised | Many tribal and village settings |
| Complex | Highly differentiated | Industrial cities |
True or False: Many Indian villages depend on nearby towns for markets, healthcare and education.
Policy and a Real UPSC Question
Great to Know
Why this matters
- The simple-to-complex idea explains why tribal and urban life run differently.
- Migration blurs the line between “rural” and “urban” identities.
- Development policy must fit local realities. One national model does not work.
- Tribal communities differ widely. The Santhal, Gond, Bhil and Naga each have their own language and customs.
- Some tribes now blend with town life. Others live in remote forests.
- Good policy keeps community voice at its heart, through gram sabhas and consent.
UPSC Mains 2025
- The question asked about tribal development as two axes: displacement and rehabilitation. See the paper.
- Displacement is the first axis. Rehabilitation policy is the second.
- Answers that only describe displacement miss half the question.
Related reading
- The history behind these units: Evolution of Indian Society.
- The state’s protective response: Tribal Groups and Welfare: PVTGs.
- A case study: The Jarawa Tribe.
- Migration: Why big cities attract migrants.
- Kinship in practice: Marriage as a Sacrament.
Think it through: why must tribal development plans include rehabilitation, not only compensation?
Tribes depend on forest and common land for food, work and culture. Cash alone cannot replace these. A plan must restore livelihood and community life.
True or False: Complex societies have less specialised institutions than simple societies.
True or False: Kinship systems can shape who receives land or business inheritance.
Exam Edge
Previous Year Questions
A real question has appeared.
- UPSC Mains 2025, GS Paper I, Q20Tribal development: displacement and rehabilitation. See the paper.
- TrapCover rehabilitation as well as displacement.
Quick Q&A
Basic social unit?
The village.
Tribal organisation?
Clan, kin, common land.
Main tribal risk?
Displacement.
Complex society?
More specialised institutions.
Rural-urban link?
Trade, migration, remittances.
0 / 4 correct
🎲 Practice: Structure of Indian Society
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