Social structure of an Indian village

This book has grown out of my Doctoral Dissertation which was accepted by the Ranchi University in the year 1968. I thank my University for sanction of financial assistance and grant of study leave which increasingly enabled me to under take the field work in Bharko and write the thesis at Bhagal pur.

It is indeed a matter of great pleasure for me to express my sincerest feelings of indebtedness and gratitude to Professor L.P. Vidyarthi, M.A. (Luck); Ph.D. (Chicago); F.A.A.A; Head of the Post-Graduate Department of Anthropology and Presi dent, The 10th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Ranchi University, whose scholarly guidance, constant supervision, valuable suggestions and affec tionate encouragements helped me immensely in the completion of thesis. So kind and affectionate he is to me that he has further favoured me by writing a Foreword to this book for which I wish to thank him and express again my appreciation and obligations to him.

My thanks are also due to the officials of the Block, the village Panchayat and the village Karmachari who supplied me unhesitatingly necessary factual information, papers and docu ments. I am equally obliged to the people of Bharko for the honest and sincere co-operation which they extended to me on all occasions while I was staying in the village.

I shall be failing in my duty if I do not thank the Head master of the Village High School who not only made my stay safe and convenient in the village but also rendered unstinted help during the course of field work.