ABSTRACT
In the foregoing pages we have discussed the views which five great sociologists expressed on different aspects of Indian society. Among these Karl Marx and Max Weber were the two sociologists who made a special study of the Indian society, while the others, i.e. Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim and Vilfredo Pareto, studied some aspects of Indian society in a comparative perspective while studying a particular social phenomenon, to arrive at certain conclusions, taking instances from different societies of the world. However, Spencer also studied to some extent the effects of British rule in India which Durkheim and Pareto did not. Here we would like to discuss some of the main features of Indian society as noted by the above-mentioned sociologists, and will also see how far they stand valid in the present context and the future progress of this country. These aspects can be discussed under the following heads:
1 The tribes of India 2 Indian civilization-an ancient one 3 Indian religion 4 Marriage and family structure 5 The caste system as an important aspect of the Hindu social system 6 Village communities and communal regulations 7 Cities in India 8 Ancient Hindu law and its effect 9 Development of the sciences and philosophy in ancient India 10 The military system 11 Bureaucracy in India 12 Political organization and colonial rule 13 Economic conditions and development 14 The educational system 15 Hindu beliefs and customs
Certain features of tribes in India have been studied by Spencer, Weber and Durkheim. According to Spencer the tribal population of India is accepted to be the oldest population of the land. These communities have lived for centuries in the forest and hilly regions. Besides these, there were certain other tribes including criminal ones, living in the plains. They are made up of a few pastoral communities which could not adjust themselves to the economy of settled life. Some of them developed a peculiar concept of property and practised antisocial activities like thieving, begging etc. Out of a total population of 361 millions in 1951, the tribal population made 19 millions (5.3%) and the criminal tribes 4
millions (1.1 %). The tribes whose details are given by Spencer in his work Descriptive Sociology include Todas, Khonds, Gonds, Bhils, Santals, Karens, Kukis, Bodo, Dhimals, etc. Some of these tribes such as Todas, Khonds, Santals, Bodo and Dhimals possess some good characteristics which are not found in many of the tribes in other countries. Therefore Spencer praises these tribes for their good characteristics, i.e. their high moral character, their voluntary cooperation in industrial and other activities, their better treatment of women and children etc. However, he also mentions some of their weak features which are often antisocial or lead to their ruin. For example in one tribe (Todas) with the death of the head of the family his entire herd of oxen was sacrificed with the result that his widow and children had to suffer. Among some tribes robbery as well as murder has had a religious sanctification. Weber also mentions some of the tribes who carried out antisocial activities such as begging and robbery, and to this we shall refer later. Durkheim notes that the Todas and the other Pariah tribes of India have a psychic likeness and behave in the same way.
