Livelihoods of Scheduled Castes in Modern India- A Study in Telangana

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There are various facets of issues on Scheduled Castes dealt by different scholars from India and abroad as well. Though existence of such huge volume of work on Scheduled Castes, contemporary and changing dynamics of living standards and livelihoods avenues focusing on rural, urban and rurban context largely absent. Within in this lacuna of literature, it tried to examine most vulnerable aspects of social groups and their economic disparities in India and Telangana state in specific. Issues on Scheduled Castes were addressed from sociological understanding to India's constitutional perspective then their livelihoods. Further, livelihoods as an important aspect was detailed from conceptual point of view to structural understanding in relation to the Scheduled Castes. It brought out based on primary data on trends in income generation and changes in traditional livelihoods and income patterns. This book dealt in structuring five chapters covering general understanding of livelihoods and livelihoods among Scheduled Castes.

The following issues specifically presented in this book: Chapter 1: Introduction on livelihoods and situation of Scheduled Castes, Chapter 2 deals with study area and profile of Scheduled Castes, Chapter 3 presents socio-economic conditions, Chapter 4: livelihoods of scheduled castes and finally Chapter 5 focused on Marginal Livelihoods.

Sujatha Surepally is an academician and has temperament of activistivism to understand the society in a depth sense logically and also to construct the facts based on the experimental activism. She currently works as the Principal of the University College of Arts, Social Science and Commerce with the Satavahana University, Karimnagar. She has been teaching Sociology for over 13 years. She has written articles on SEZs, Anti Polavaram Dam movement and Telangana movement. She has been a regular columnist with Janam Sakshi and writes for Telugu dailies and edits a quarterly namely Desi Disha. Her interests are in active participation in the struggles against caste and gender disparity as well as Adivasis rights, environmental issues, natural resources and Telengana. Two pieces published in Huffington Post. She holds a Masters in Sociology and has done her Ph.D on Dalit Women's Empowerment. She has published four books on Telangana issues of which one is joint authored book on Polepally SEZ.

Scheduled Castes (SCs) apart from Scheduled Tribes (STS) are among the most vulnerable social groups with social and economic disparities in India and Telangana state in specific. Issues on Scheduled Castes were addressed from sociological understanding to India's constitutional perspective then their livelihoods. Further, livelihoods as an important aspect was detailed from conceptual point of view to structural understanding in relation to the Scheduled Castes.

Livelihoods of Scheduled Castes are often recognized as one of the key important issues in a larger social domain. A better understanding of livelihoods' conditions of SCs in both rural and to some extent urban areas may also offer to extend understanding of how change and development can also effectively be viewed as continual processes of lives of Scheduled Castes. Similarly, investigating intergenerational aspects of land owning, asset ownership and sources of income provides an important departure, beside gender, with which it is possible to analyse the dynamics of livelihoods and related issues.

In present environment it is not at all an easy task to run smoothly the household and it is impossible with the skill and craft of these communities to sustain in the society. It was seen that the enrolment in higher education is also weak as far as the SCS concerned. Moreover, land holdings are also not in adequate or appropriate ratios as majority of the lands have been concentrated in the traditional land holding classes. In such contrast and complex conditions with lack of adequate education, employment and livelihoods, how these social groups have been sustaining? And what is the condition of sub-groups of SCs in present social environment? These questions are further addressed in the book. The analysis herein is, therefore, based on 400 households composed obvious that still marginal social circumstances are dominant. The study covered groups are as follows: Baindla, Budaga Jangam, Byagari, Dakkali, Dommari, Gosangi, Gurrapu Mallu (Gurrapu Mala), Holiya Dasari, Kolupula, Madhiga, Madigadasu, Mahar, Mala Jangam, Mala Dasari, Mannepu, Mashti, Matangi, Mitthal Ayyavar, Mochi, Nethakani, Pumbala and Sarthaks. Thus 22 different castes under the list of SCs were identified and collected the data from them.

Livelihoods of Sub-Castes of Scheduled Castes can be best understood by using socio-anthropological method. In which proper questionnaire was used as an essential research technique. It involves in identifying social structures and identifying existing income sources which they believed enabled each individual society to function in terms of economic. As the data reveals about 55 per cent of the respondents did not own any land. The incidence of landlessness is significant among the SCs. Majority are depend on labour though they hold lands and they are inconvenient to cultivate or practice regular farming. Among land holding families, significant proportion involve seasonally. Even in the case of loan accessibility, majority of them did not avail loan facilities for agricultural purpose. It was evident borrowings and family debt status at present (the period of survey taken place). The average expenditure of households is about Rs. 9709.09 and it was higher in Karimnagar and followed by Nizamabad, Warangal and Adilabad.

The data on trends in income generation reveals that majority viewed that there is no changes in income and it has been in consistent without taking place much changes in traditionally dependent on traditional livelihoods sources. As the data shows in the study, much of incidences show that they are not performing traditional art and shifted to other activities though some of them still engaged with traditional arts as a source of livelihoods as there do not have other options.

**Contents and Sample Pages**