Tribal Culture, Continuity And Change - A Study of Bhils In Rajasthan

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Change is inherent in the nature of culture. No culture is static and it is a permanent factor of human civilization, which goes on everywhere and at all times. The Bhils commonly known as the desert dwellers or the bowmen are the largest tribal group in the Arravali belt of Rajasthan. It is believed that they are the oldest inhabitants of Indian continent. Hence these Arravalli dwellers came across the different agents of change. There was a time, when they assisted the Rajputs and revealed their gallantry against the Britishers.

To evaluate the nature and its direction of change, the author tried to explore the Bhils in their present stage and also made an effort to compare them from pre-independence and post- independence Bhils. Hence the study endeavours to draw a chronology of change coming to oldest inhabitants from its ancient times to oflate with the main focus on post-independence period of the Bhils in India.

Anita Srivastava Majhi (b. 1973), obtained her M.A. from University of Lucknow, Lucknow and Ph.D. degree in Social Cultural Anthropology from University of Delhi, Delhi and has about one decade research experience in various tribal groups in northern and western India. She has published quite a number of articles extensively in the field of Social and Cultural Change in various referred journals.

She was the Member, Guest Faculty in the Department of Anthropology, Allahabad Central University during 2005-2006. Presently she is Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Government Girls' Degree College Rajajipuaram, Lucknow (U.P.). She is a member of American Anthropological Association (AAA), Society for Anthropology North America (SANA) and Allahabad Anthropological Association (AAA). She is also associated with Giri Institute of Social Sciences (ICSSR Regional Centre), Lucknow for the project National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

Change is something which is never constant and keeps on going, no one knows when it is started and where is its destiny. If we try to assess change in terms of humans and in its different facets, then etiologically it is termed as evolution 'meaning starting from zero to some specific number' (what is today change in specific time) and so on. Hence this is applicable to a wider spectrum in different aspects and it would be difficult to confine the discussion on change in one book with few lines.

My interest to study change and change coming in the human society, since the birth of this earth is from my early beginnings of senses. Few clips which kept on flashing in my mind as how the earth came into its existence and then how we humans originated on this earth, let me to ready the subject anthropology, which I think is the most appropriate subject that fully matched with my hunch. This has gradually resulted into this kind of study "Culture Change" where I stand with the view "the change is versatile and inevitable and culture in itself is dynamic".

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