ABSTRACT
The Ethnographic Survey of British India was undertaken to make sense f the bewildering range of communities and groups in the form of caste and religious sects in which India was seen as divided. This article refers to the very first 1901 Census that was primarily driven by attempts at caste and religion-based classifications. There is an attempt to define who is a Hindu and to identify the separation and similarity between Hindus and Jains and other non-Brahmin sects of the Hindus. The practices of child marriage, a ban on widow remarriage, and foreign travel for upper castes among Hindus have been critically examined, as also the actual correspondence between caste occupation and the work done by an individual. It is noted that there is considerable digression between caste norms and real-life situations. It is enjoined that Hindus should adopt new ways of life and give up irrational practices that will prevent their growth. Most of the data pertains to Gujerat and adjoining areas and to efforts at reforming Hinduism.
