Change in Karnataka over the Last Generation: Villages and the Wider Context

This paper examines changes that have (and have not) occurred – at the village level in Karnataka where most or the state’s residents live, and at higher levels when they impinge upon villages – since 1972. Substantial changes have occurred on many (though certainly not all) fronts, but most of them have not resulted from conscious decisions by political leaders to induce dramatic change. One of the main themes here is the increasing impact of high-level decisions and events upon people at the local level over the period since 1972. After an introduction, the paper is divided in five sections: Part II asks whether society in Karnataka is as ‘cohesive’ today as it was in 1972; part III analyses patterns of change on a number of fronts at the state level, and part IV considers changes at the village level. Part V addresses links between the state and village levels, in part to demonstrate that there is greater vertical integration between the state-level and the villages. Part VI serves as a conclusion.