Indian Tribes: Then and Now

The book primarily deals with the tribal social structure and the changes occurring there in. India has a large concentration of tribal population. Though scattered all over the country their concentration is mainly in the Northern and Central region. Originally they lived at unapproachable places where the land was inferetile with limited means of living was infertile with limited means of living resources. They were simple, poor and backward. Their economic hardships and encounter with the non-tribals at times made them violent, criminal and rebellious. After Independence several efforts have been made through Five year plans and reservation policy etc. for their social and economic emancipation yet after more than five decades they have not been able to come at par with the rest of the society. Some other aspects of tribal society viz. India’s nomadic tribes, vanishing tribes, residence system, reservation policy and development aspects have been discussed in the separate chapters. Separate chapters have been devoted on tribes of Rajasthan and Tribal Development programmes. At the end of the book (in the appendix) two chapters have been added. One on the “Nature and subject matter of Anthropology” and second on some “Anthropological Concepts” with a view to enrich the readers. Readers interested in various aspects of the tribal studies will find the book informative and useful.