Page 3 - Lessonnote_Change and Development in Rural Society

Dominant Caste

• In most regions of India, the major landowning groups belong to the upper castes.

• In each region, there are usually just one or two major landowning cases, who are
also numerically very important.

• Such groups are termed by the sociologist M.N.Srinivas as Dominant castes.

• In each region, the dominant caste is the most powerful group, economically and
politically and dominants local society.

• Examples of Dominant landowning groups are Jats and Rajputs of U.P, the Vokkaligas
and Lingayats in Karnataka, Kammas and Reddis in Andhra Pradesh and Jats in
Punjab.

• Dominant Landowning groups are usually middle or high ranked castes, most of the
marginal farmers and landless belong to lower caste groups.

• They belong to SCs or STs or OBCs in official classification

Box-4.1

• There is a direct correspondence between agricultural productivity and the agrarian
structure.
• In areas of assured irrigation, those with plentiful rainfall or artificial irrigation, those
with plentiful rainfall or artificial irrigation works more labour was needed for

intensive cultivation.
• Here the most unequal agrarian structures developed. The agrarian structure of
these regions was characterised by a large proportion of landless labourers, who
were often ‘bonded’ workers belonging to the lowest castes.

Proprietary Caste

➢ A Proprietary Caste group own most of the resources and can command labour to
work for them in most parts of the country.
➢ Practices such as begar or free labour were prevalent in many parts of northern
India.
➢ Members of low ranked caste groups had to provide for a fixed number of days per
year to the village zamindar or landlords.