GLOBALISATION OF ECONOMIC COMMODITIES BARELY ALLOWS TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES TO LEAD AUTONOMOUS LIFE

The modern India which is trying its best to break away from the caste system and establish an egalitarian and plural society has not done much to address the social discrimination and marginalization of the nomads. In the era of globalisation,commodities and services are controlled by ‘market’ and multinationals. This new global economic system barely allows these traditional communities to lead their own little autonomous life.

The caste is a unique feature of the Hindu social structure. Although, the term ‘tribe’ is widely used, there is no consensus on its definition. Its application at times implies assumptions of ‘isolation’, ‘primitivity’ and ‘indigenousness’, or at places suggest ‘subsistence economies’, ‘political autonomy’ and ‘cultural homogeneity’. In

Indian context, what distinguishes the two terms is that, while a caste must be explicitly part of an elaborate ranking system based on criteria of purity and pollution, a tribe does not necessarily have to be part of the ranking system, though it often is. The experience of India’s transition from the medieval feudalism to modern democracy is

distinct for different communities living in different parts of the country. Along side this political transformation, the techno-economic change brought far reaching transformation in the lives of many communities. The exposure to ‘industry’, ‘capitalism’ and ‘democracy’ rescued many communities from the age-old discrimination and

suppression. For example, the social movements against Sati and Untouchability backed by legal provisions made by the State redressed some extreme forms of social injustices in Indian Society. Yet, there were still numerous social groups who became either targets of new forms of prejudice and exploitation or the traditional prejudices turned new leafs and assumed new characters. The historical account of the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes illustrate this. A series of enactments on ‘Criminal Tribes’ and ‘Vagrants’ during the British regime caused stigmatisation and marginalisation of numerous communities. These communities in the course of history are bundled into and popularly known as

“Denotified and Nomadic Tribes”. Aparna Rao and Michael Casimir, two distinguished anthropologists studying the nomadic communities in South Asia observe: “De facto, most tribes in South Asia, and especially in India, function as part of the vast canvas of hierarchy and repression that is represented by the caste system, and- proactive policies not withstanding- most of these communities are subject to extreme social discrimination and disentitlement.6”

. Hence, many of the traditional forms of Nomadism are becoming fragile. For example, folk artists of past have turned into destitute today, artisans who supplied the agricultural implements or weapons of warfare are reduced to beggars, pastoralists who once owned large herds are reduced to marginal farmers, and so on. Hence, most of these communities now have become wage-labours and are exploited by the industrial and market forces. Some of the communities have totally lost their traditional occupations and the dignity and self-sufficiency associated with it. The ethnographic accounts which had kept some account of their traditional vocations provide us a range of their professional activities.

The range of professions followed by the Nomads is as follows: pastoral herders, foragers or huntergatherers, nomadic artisans, nomadic entertainers, nomadic traders, nomadic mendicants,

and nomadic medicine men.