Agrarian Society in Bihar, India: Overview and Statistics

1. Agrarian Society:Bihar, India Rabiya Jawahir, Nikita Peoples, Frederick Cave, Nicole McClain, John Rigdon, Kathy Herington, Stephanie Murad,

2. Agrarian Societies Overview • Based on farming as main method of subsistence • Use of the plow distinguishes this type from horticultural societies • Advanced agrarian societies have widespread access to iron/steel tools • There is significant specialization of labor in both regions and communities

3. Agrarian Societies Cont. • There is often a governing elite that controls both the political and the economic aspects of life • Trade is increasingly important • Nearly every society was once ruled by a king or other monarch • Military conflict is much more common

4. Agrarian Societies Cont. • Religion also plays a much more important role • Construction of major architectural works is more common—specifically temples and shrines • Advancement of leisure and arts • Further stratification of the social classes

5. Geography • Upper northeast corner of India, right before it gets squeezed between Bhutan and Bangladesh. • Many important rivers pass through Bihar. • In the southern foothills of the Himalaya Mountain Range, touching Nepal. Bihar is the tan state within the red shape.

6. One of the most notable features of Bihar is its location in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This plain is very fertile, making it ideal for an agrarian society. Indo-Gangetic Plain

7. Population and Land • Bihar has a population of 82,878,796 • It is a majority male population(52.6%) • The total area of land is 94,163 sq. km • This is divided into two main regions: the North Ganga Plain and the South Ganga Plain • Further divided there are 37 districts • Capital city is Patna

8. Population and Other Statistics • Per capita income is Rs 21,696—this is $538.50 • Density: 880 people per sq. mile • Birth rate: 30.9 per 1000 • Death rate: 7.9 per 1000 • Population grew 28.4% from 1991-2001

9. Economy Bihar lags behind in the overall progress of India. • Per capita GDP: Rs. 4000 per month in Bihar vs. national average of Rs.12000 per month. • Nearly 10% more people living below the poverty line than the average for India Reasons for slow development • Inadequate investment in infrastructure, irrigation, and technology • Caste dominated politics

10. Economy: Agriculture • 2 crop seasons: Kharif & Rabi • Major crops: • Rice • Sugar • Tobacco • Wheat • Jute • Other minor crops: • Chilli • Mango • Oil Seeds

11. Economy: Agriculture

12. Economy: Mineral Production • Very little due to the division of southern Bihar into the separate state of Jharkhand • Most mineral production takes place in Jharkhand • Some Minerals Produced • Coal • Bauxite • Dolomite

13. Economy: Mineral Production

14. Economy: Attempts at Industrialization • Oil refinery in Barauni • Motor scooter plant at Fatuha • Power plant at Muzaffarpur • No sustained efforts

15. Polity • Bicameral Legislature • Upper-house Legislative Council • Lower-house Legislative Assembly • Governor appointed by president of India • Head of state • Real executive power rests with Chief Minister • 7 administrative divisions and 39 divisions • Each division has a divisional commissioner • District magistrate and collector in each division • Sub divisional officer in each of the 76 subdivisions

16. Polity (cont’d) • High court at Patna • Chief justice and several other justices • District courts and sub divisional courts, and village councils • Currently 2 main political formations • NDA • Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party • Rashtriya Janata Dal • Indian National Congress

17. Past Polity • 1995 – Lalu Prasad Yadav became chief minister • Corruption charges forced his resignation but anointed his wife CM through proxy • Led to deterioration of administration • Voted out of power in 2005 • Recent elections • Have witnessed unprecedented deployment of security forces • Varying views on success of such force

18. Kinship: 3 Kinship Groups Ahirs • Endogamous/ exogamous clans • Marriages arranged • Marriage of first cousins prohibited • Wed at time of marriage • Bride moves into household of husband’s family • Extended family • Divorce allowed but requires approval of the caste’s council

19. Mundas • Endogamous/Exogamous • Don’t marry before the boy can build a plow and the girl can weave and spin • Marriages negotiated and depend on consent of involved parties • Bride-price paid in both cash and goods • Take up residence in husband’s fathers house • Nuclear family preferred

20. Oraons • Village and clan exogamy • Patrilineal extended family • 5-7 members • Arranged marriages most common • Bride price paid • Divorce rare as marriage is seen as lifelong undertaking

21. Social Stratification: Bihar’s Caste System • India’s Caste System: describes the social stratification and social restrictions in society, “in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed as jātis or castes”. • “The Indian Constitution has outlawed caste-based discrimination, and caste barriers have mostly broken down in large cities. However, it still persist in rural areas of the country, and in various forms, does continue to play a major role in Indian society and politics”.

22. Dominant Castes of Bihar • Different Castes: Brahman, Bhumihar, Rajput, Banias and Kayastha are the dominant castes • Kayasthas and Banias are the two important caste groups in the cities and towns. • The Brahmans and Kshatriyas belong to the same racial stock, but the Kshatriyas “are more mixed because of their marriage with various stocks of people”.

23. The Kayasthas are prominent in all modern professional occupations and are generally given the status of elite castes. • The Banias predominate in trade and commerce. • Bhumihars are regarded as a caste different from the Brahmans and Rajputs. However members of all these caste groups have occupied prominent positions in the educational and political life of the state. Bhumihars, Rajputs or Brahmans Kayasthas Banias

24. Lower Castes of Bihar • The lower castes consist of the Koiri, Kurmi, Kahar, and the Ahir • There are many Caste rivalries and prejudices because of narrow-mindedness; however, modern day education systems and efforts the enlightened youth, “are gradually doing away with the prejudices”.

25. The Ahirs (Yadavas), Kurmis and Koiris are land-owning castes, and they live in the plains of Bihar. • The Ahirs or Yadavas are agricultural caste. Cattle-raising is their hereditary occupation, and most are settled cultivators. Some still roam about selling milk and ghee. • Koiris are agriculturists. They are distinguished from Kurmis and other purely cultivating castes by their skill in growing vegetables and other special cash crops. They work as market-gardeners in the neighborhoods of the big towns. Many Koiris are rich land owners that still hold occupancy rights. Ahirs = raise cattle Koiris

26. Most notable castes of Bihar • The most notable castes are Bhumij, Chamar (Mochi), Dhobi, Dom, Dusadh, Musahar, Nat and Pasi. • Their means of livelihood is hard manual labor or menial labor. • About 92 percent of the total population of these castes lives in the village while those in the towns and cities are slum-dwellers who work on pavements (much like our homeless). Although education is free for them, the vast majority of them still illiterate. 

27. The Musahars are field laborers whose wages are paid in cash or in kind according to the traditional custom in the villages. • The Dusadhs are of aboriginal descent. A large number of them serve as watchmen. They are also employed as village messengers, grooms, elephant drivers and wood cutters and porters.  • The Dhanuks are servant class found in every place where there are high caste Hindus. They perform menial household duties along with their family. Some Dhanuks are also cultivators while the females act as maid servants. Musahars Dusadhs Dhanuks

28. Caste System Today • Prejudice against the lower castes is gradually disappearing in Bihar. • In the country districts, the influence of Zamindar (land lords) families is still considerable, but their influence is based more on their position as landlords than as persons of title. • The middle class is made up of professionals that for the most part have done away with caste prejudices. • Marriage is somewhat different: though inter-caste marriages are now relatively common in India, many Indians still consider caste a major criterion for matrimonial choices. • Biharis still prefer to go in for arranged marriages in their own community and caste.

29. Ideology: Three Main Religions in Bihar • Hinduism • Buddhism • Jainism

30. Ideology: Hinduism • The third largest religion in the world with diverse sects. • Five Basic Tenets: • Dharma (ethics or duties) • Samsara (the continuing cycle of rebirth) • Karma (action and reaction) • Moksha (liberation from samsara) • Yogas (paths or practices)

31. Ideology: Buddhism • Governed by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama known as Buddha • Rebirth • Karma • The Four Noble Truths • There is suffering • There is a cause of suffering • There is the cessation of suffering • There is a way leading to the cessation of suffering • Often described as a way of life instead of a religion.

32. Ideology: Jainism • Founded in the 6th century B.C. in ancient Bihar. • Three main tenets: • Ahimsa (non- violence): Towards both humans and animals. Leads to the propagation of vegetarianism • Aparigraha (non- attachment): Freeing the soul through the disregard of material objects. • Anekantwad (relativity): No absolute truth. Everything is possible.

33. Education: History • Historically Bihar has been a major center of learning • Originated from the time of Buddha or even earlier • Home of one of the earliest universities, Nalanda, which dates back to the 5th century • Vikramshia, which is another university is located there as well

34. Education: History • During medieval period, education was lost • Believed that marauding armies of the invaders destroyed the centers of learning

35. Education • During 1970s and 1980s government took control over private schools • Because government was ill-equipped the standards of the schools began to fall • However, government did not take over schools ran by Christian missionaries, and these schools still provided quality education

36. Education • Central government runs a number of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) • Jawahar Navodaya Schools were made by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for rural children • Have been successful in providing quality education to the weaker sections of the society

37. Education • Modern Bihar has an inadequate educational infrastructure which places a huge impact between supply and demand • The growing population has made the situation even worse, and has led to a “flooding” of the student population to other states in order to obtain a better education • Only 51% of the children enrolled in primary school actually attend, 59% of those who do attend do not have textbooks, and 13% of the children in Bihar are not enrolled at all.

38. Education • Has an overall literacy of 47.53% • Male literacy rate of 60.32% • Female literacy rate of 33.57% • Only 21% of all primary school teachers have completed the matriculation • Because of the law of affirmative action that reserves jobs and education for people of backward classes, students from Bihar are performing well in respect to better economically well off states in India

39. Status of Women • Women in Bihar are subjected to following a system called Purdah, and it is almost as oppressive as the Taliban era in Afghanistan. • 88% of girls marry before age 17 - despite the fact that national law says women cannot marry before the age 18.

40. Purdah System • Purdah literally means "curtain" • Reaches across Hindu and Muslim lines. • Women must be covered in public. • Women cannot travel without their husbands' permission. • Most women can only associate with family members, or those approved by the family. • Often, men even do the shopping so that women do not need to go out in public unaccompanied.

41. Women must have a dowry before they get married. A woman's possessions go to her husband, and then upon her death, to her children. Status of Women • A woman in Bihar has very few possessions, usually no education, and very little autonomy.

42. Culture of Bihar: Festivals • Chhath • Worship of the Sun God • Teej • Worship of Goddess Parvati

43. Bihar: Music • Folksongs dealing with everyday life • sohar - performed during childbirth • sumangali - associated with wedding • ropnigeet - performed during the season of sowing paddy • katnigeet - performed during the paddy harvesting season

44. Question 1 • What does the word purdah mean?a) closedb) curtainc) cut-offd) womane) wicked

45. Question 2 • Although India is making all efforts to do away with caste-discriminations, in which parts of India does caste discrimination still play a major role in society and politics? • Towns • cities • urban areas • rural areas

46. Question 3 • Compared to the rest of India economically, Bihar is • Progressing at the same rate • Lagging behind • Advancing more quickly

47. Question 4 • Which of the following religions originated in ancient Bihar 6th Century BC? • Hinduism • Jainism • Islam

48. Question 5 • What is the festival of Chhath for? • Worship of Goddess Parvati • Worship of the God of the Sun • Celebration of a good harvest

49. Works Cited • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_caste_system • http://www.country-studies.com/india/veiling-and-the-seclusion-of-women.html • http://orion.oac.uci.edu/~pranjan/bihar.pdf • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bihar • http://www.bihar.org.in/economy/ • “Bihar.” Encyclopedia Britannica. • Nolan, Patrick. Human Societies. Paradigm Publishers. Boulder, CO. 2004 • http://www.webindia123.com/bihar • http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/CensusStats-01.htm • http://www.infochangeindia.org/bookandreportsst96.jsp • http://www.newkerala.com/states-of-india/bihar.php