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Towards Revitalizing Diversity: A Study of the Traditional Jajmāni System in IndiaAuthor: Harsh Satya Date: 2020-01-21 Report no: IIIT/TH/2020/2 Advisor:Navjyoti Singh,Rajeev Sangal AbstractModern times have witnessed unprecedented material growth leading to increase in efficiency, comfortability and longevity of life. The success of modernity has attracted attention and curiosity of global community. However, behind the silver screen of modern glamour lie some existential challenges which are threatening not only the human welfare but also the existence of life itself on this planet. Some of these challenges include ever growing unsustainability of modern lifestyles, decimation of diversity in various spheres and a general disinterest seen in modern mind towards issues which do not have immediate bearing on one’s living (specifically material wellbeing). These challenges ought to be taken up head on in contemporary times in order to address the concerns fundamentally. In this context, exploration of the jajmāni system which was prevalent in traditional Indian society appears to be an important domain for study. Indian society has been known for being home to rich diversity. India has been home to all the major religions of the World, hundreds of languages are spoken by its people, thousands of gods are worshipped, and many important philosophical schools find patronage in Indian social institutions. Also, there are sufficient indications that there used to be a prime concern as well as facilitation of ‘collective contemplation’ on fundamental issues of humanity including the primal condition of man through various artistic modes. The jajmāni system also deserves to be analyzed from the point of view of sustainability and local self-sufficiency as it is usually claimed that it provided widespread prosperity to people. Even though the jajmāni system has attracted the interest of large number of scholars in the last century, however not much emphasis is discernible in these works has been done to understand these concerns. The present study on jajmāni system has attempted to study it from the following four major concerns The birth and sustenance of diversity in jajmāni villages - The role and importance of ‘culture of collective contemplation’ with regard to ensuring ‘unity-in-diversity’ in the society. - The self-sufficiency and sustainability of jajmāni villages. - And, the causes behind the collapse of jajmāni system in modern times. For all these, it is also important to grasp the philosophical basis and the key principles on which the jajmāni system was established over a long period. However, it is pertinent to note that at present it is not possible for one to come across a village which is actually functioning on the principles of jajmāni system. Therefore, for a comprehensive understanding, a conceptual model has to be visualized based on its formative principles and the bits of available information on it. In this regard, the present study reviewed available literature to identify and understand the underlying philosophical concepts and also to understand the system’s functioning. We have also attempted to identify and learn from a few rather unconventional resources to improve upon our understanding. One important resource has been Shri Ravindra Sharma, who extensively studied the functioning of the system in Adilabad region of southern India by actually living amongst several traditional communities for more than two decades and learning their crafts. In addition to him, this study has also extensively interacted with community elders of two communities in Western India- the kurbas (shepherds) and the thākar (traditional puppeteers). The spectrum of our literature review has addressed two broad interests- one, to understand salient concepts that are needed for this study and the other, to critically assess the existing status of information on jajmāni system. Consequently, the whole review is categorized in four different but connecting sections. The four seThe insights obtained during the course of this study can be useful to address the problem of diversity sustenance in contemporary society and the challenges of sustainability and self- sufficiency for local community living.ctions are as follows: - Salient views on Origins of ‘Society’ and Concerns of Diversity - The Importance of Collective Contemplation and the roles of Public-Private Realms - A critical review of the core literature on jajmāni system - Studies to understand philosophical basis of jajmāni system The jajmāni system in very brief can be understood as a social system of direct inter-dependency and mutual fulfilment amongst the families in a village community. The institution of jāti (caste) becomes pivotal to this arrangement. The system is founded on the basic philosophical principlesof mokśa (liberation)- as the purpose of life and ‘yajña’ (mutual fulfillment) as a way of living. The diversity in the jajmāni system is protected and sustained by the institution of jāti (caste), which ensures family-based production system. Moreover, diversity gets constantly enriched in rich spaces of ‘collective contemplation’ where new ideas and beliefs get born. The numerous artist communities who have enjoyed patronage in jajmāni system can be credited to create a rich culture of ‘collective contemplation’. Such spaces seem to adhere to the classical idea of public space (in Greek tradition) or samāja (in Indic tradition). Numerous artist communities like the traditional story-tellers, drama performers, puppeteers, painters, folk singers etc. have found patronage in the jajmāni system. These artist communities have been responsible for creating rich culture of collective contemplation (on fundamental issues of human concern). They find their inspiration from the classical treatise on drama- the nāttyaśātra which provides an understanding of the purpose of art and its primal relation with society. This study considers the artist communities to be playing a central role in the functioning and stability of jajmāni system. Such a culture is key to birth of diversity in society and also for the unifying force between diverse beliefs. Next, we have found the family-based production system a key requirement for protecting and sustaining diversity in the Indian society. Such a production system is ably supported by tool-based small-scale technology, which was apt for meeting production needs without disturbing the existing diversity in society. In this regard, the institution of jāti (caste) must be credited for diversity conservation. Lastly, we discovered that the economic self-sufficiency and sustainability of the system can be credited to the nature of its local market and the mode of production which ensured full employment opportunities and environment friendly methods of production.The insights obtained during the course of this study can be useful to address the problem of diversity sustenance in contemporary society and the challenges of sustainability and self- sufficiency for local community living. Full thesis: pdf Centre for Exact Humanities |
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