What can be called the soul of a village?
How can it be identified?
How can one map the path of the village’s transformation?
These are the questions that the Gramodaya Chamber of Commerce and Technology (GCOT) has been trying to answer. We being the Non-Governmental Organization, is working to develop a template for a study of a village which would help provide a road map for its development that is specific for the village.
Accordingly GCOT has drawn up a template for the micro study of the village and its first case study
is of Podagatlapally in Ravulapalem mandal of East Godavari of Andhra Pradesh.
The study taken up to mark 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi is aptly called
“150 dimensions of an Indian village”. GCOT roped in a number of organizations for the study.
The report shows that the village is spread across 3.5 kilometres radius with a population of
about 7,000. It was estimated that, the village was established about 750 years ago as the
present existing temples — Muthyalamma, Poleramma and Somalamma — date back to that period.
Village monograph of Podagatlapally village in Ravulapalem Mandal of East Godavari of Andhra
Pradesh has been done with the sponsorship from KVK Group. We thank
Sri K. Vijay Kumar garu,
Chairman of KVK Group
in extending his financial assistance to procure the statistics of the
village in detailed and arrange to prepare a book of village monograph on 150 dimensions.
The main users of the monographs are non-residents of villages, residing in villages and any one who are entozoic of exploring their village and its specializations, origins, culture and economical status. GCOT village monograph provides the basic information needed for projects to select target villages, understand the villages issues and on-going changes and have a clear understanding of the village future plan as designed by village communities. Beyond extension purpose, monographs provide also systematic information about villages that can be used by district authorities for planning purpose.
Apart from laying the foundations of demography in this subcontinent, a hundred years of the Indian Census has also produced 'elaborate and scholarly accounts of the variegated phenomena of Indian life-sometimes with no statistics attached, but usually with just enough statistics to give empirical underpinning to their conclusions.' In a country, largely illiterate, where statistical or numerical comprehension of even such a simple thing as age was liable to be inaccurate, an understanding of the social structure was essential. It was more necessary to attain a broad understanding of what was happening around oneself than to wrap oneself up in 'statistical ingenuity' or 'mathematical manipulation'. This explains why the Indian Census came to be interested in 'many by-paths' and 'nearly every branch of scholarship, from anthropology and sociology to geography and religion'.
The GCOT Village Monograph covers the following dimensions;
- Structure of the Village- details
- Village History- details
- Names-Analysis
- Dress pattern / Ornaments types
- Work culture- Instruments
- Traditional medicine - practice
- Professional wisdom
- Gods- Festivals- Rituals
- Life cycle pattern- cultural events
- Fine / Folk arts
- Area details
- Population data
- Education facilities
- Medical facilities
- Drinking water facilities
- Communication facilities
- Transport facilities
- Banking facilities
- Self Help Groups
- Recreation facilities
- Power supply
- Reading Habits
- Land use pattern- cropping style
- Types of Agri produce / marketing
- Sanitation facilities
- About Village Panchayath buildings
- Live stock details
- Types of Assets
- Off farm activities
- Level of Income and expenditure
- Types of Non- Resident Villagers (NRV)
- Crime rate
- Religious structures
- Other details
Do you want to explore your village and create a bookmark for your Village ?
Why delay! Register now and update your village monograph any where any time......