- India is a country of villages.
- Majority of India's people live in rural areas.
- They make their living from agriculture or related occupations.
- This implies that agricultural land is very important productive resource.
- But land is not just a means of production or mode of property. Agriculture is a way of life. Many of our cultural practices and patterns can be traced to our agrarian backgrounds.
- For example, most of the New Year festivals in different regions of the country such as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam, Baisakhi in Punjab and Ugadi in Karnataka actually celebrate the main harvest season.
- Thus, culture and social structure in rural India are closely bound up with agriculture and the agrarian way of life.
But rural is not just agriculture. Many activities that support agriculture and village life are also sources of livelihood for people in rural India. For example, a large number of artisans such as potters, carpenters, weavers, ironsmiths, and goldsmiths are found in rural areas. Rural life is also supported by many other specialists and craftspersons as story-tellers, astrologers, priests, water-distributers, and oil-pressers.
But, now, increasing interconnection of the rural and urban economies has led to many diverse occupations. For example, many people living in rural areas are employed in rural non-farm activities. Many rural residents are employed in government services such as the postal and education departments, factory workers, army and so on.