The complexity of the village and rural society systems in India has been historically misread and misconstrued. There is a need for a new tradition of scholarship which understands the village systems at the conceptual and theoretical levels. Agriculture, peasantry, land use, social systems and infrastructure, and indigenous technical knowledge systems need a more profound understanding of structural-functional and comparative analysis approaches.

Our cover story this month focuses on the villages of India through an Indian standpoint. It draws attention to Mahatma Gandhi’s book Gram Swaraj, in which he explains the idea of a self-reliant village. His concept of Gram Swaraj is considered one of the most excellent models, focusing primarily on the development of the individual without compromising the integrity of the society and developing a self-sustainable economy. Gandhiji’s idea of development focused on the flow of dependency from village to town and not vice-versa; he laid stress on the use of technology, but not compromising on traditional knowledge, skills, and art forms. Gandhiji’s thoughts and understanding of the village were essentially based on the connection he shared with the community, as he found the soul of India in her villages. Gandhiji was critical of entrusting the central government with maximum powers and fought for the decentralization of powers.

Rural society has undergone rapid changes in the 21st century. It continues to undergo substantial changes; the agrarian society has transformed from a subsistence-based one to a market economy, with rapid modernization and the use of technology for agrarian and non-agrarian purposes. The abolition of the intermediaries and the emergence of associations and institutions having close linkages with urban and national organizations has led to significant changes in the current rural landscape. Rural and urban landscapes could consequently be a clash of ontologies. This gap needs to be bridged in the most sensitive manner possible, not just through blindly imposing the concept of development upon the villages, but by understanding the perspective of the primary stakeholder.

With this cover story and other articles of current interest, we hope that you enjoy reading this issue of TerraGreen. We do look forward to receiving your feedback and letters.