Abstract
This chapter is an attempt to understand the changing nature of rural public spaces and its impact on the community relations. It attempts to argue that the evolving change in rural social life and its impact on individual behavior is closely associated with the changing nature of these spaces. The public spaces in rural areas have witnessed a qualitative change in the recent past.The traditional public sites like chaupals or festivals or other ceremonies those used to foster community relations have weakened significantly. The public spaces have either disappeared or people have stopped using them. Festivals have been taken over by the increasing culture of consumerism and market players. This generates a sense of loss among those who used to draw a sense of support from such spaces.
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Notes
- 1.
Different castes here refer to the upper castes (Brahmin, Rajputs, Vaishyas) and the cultivator castes or entrepreneur castes or intermediary classes and castes (like Nai, Carpenter, Teli, and so on).
- 2.
Personal interview with the author, Banda.
- 3.
Personal interview with author, Goluwala, Rajasthan.
- 4.
Personal interview with the author, February 2017, Mansa.
- 5.
Personal interview with author, February 2015, Chattarpur, MP.
- 6.
Personal interview with author, February 2015, Chattarpur, MP.
- 7.
Personal interaction with author, June 2017, Donoda, Yawatmal.
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Suthar, S.K. (2022). Changing Public Spaces and Community in Rural India. In: Dilapidation of the Rural. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3892-4_3
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