Changing Indian Society

Contents: Preface. 1. India: unity in diversity. 2. Population profile. 3. Urban India. 4. Village India. 5. Tribal India. 6. Varna and Jati. 7. Marriage, family and kinship. 8. Status of women. 9. Indian polity. 10. Changing India. Select readings. Index.

"Changing Indian Society, penned by India's leading social scientist of international renown, encapsulates the enormous empirical and statistical data to present a profile of Indian society as a multicultural entity composed of different ethnic origins, various religions, and belonging to a variety of speech communities, and yet bonded together as a nation, sharing a common polity and economy.

Written simply and without jargon, in a style intelligible to a lay reader, the book provides a sound sociological perspective to comprehend Indian society and its major social institutions. It introduces urban and rural India; gives a glimpse of tribal India; explains marriage, kinship, and the caste system; and outlines major changes occurring in Indian society.

The book offers a good Introduction to Indian society for a variety of audiences: students graduating in social sciences, candidates preparing for competitive examinations, business executives - particularly representatives of multinationals in need of orientation to Indian culture and society, foreign tourists, and students in other countries auditing a course on India, and, of course, the general public." (jacket)