Casts in Andhra Pradesh
Culture and civilization are mutually dependent. Culture is that complex whole encompasses belief, faith, customs and traditions of a people. India is a melting pot of many cultures and religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam. People of these religions have lived together displaying mutual respect, peace and harmony over the centuries. Mostly, the ancient Aryans and the medieval Muslims have influenced our culture. Materialism took precedence during the British rule.
When a society is driven by dogmatic caste and religious feelings, it remains shackled. Acceptance and magnanimity are required in all community and inter personal relationships, since all of us are interdependent.
Informal relationships are under serve pressure too in the modern competitive world. Unhealthy competition merely causes jealously and hatred. Today, the tradition of conservation is replaced by consumerism and materialism. In other words, we have become destroyers of both our cultural and natural resources.
Castes- backward class
Traditionally, castes played an important role in promotion of traditions around preservation of natural resources. Even in this modern age, castes play a pivotal role in social, political and economic matters. There is a change in the states of scheduled castes and backward classes in the state especially for those who are educated and have modernized their traditional crafts. This has ushered in their social, economic and political progress.
In our state, as an agrarian society, we had traditions which conserved natural resources. With modernization, however, traditional customs developed by conservative harvesting of natural resources are losing their importance. This is leading to rapid depletion and degradation of resources. For instance, traditionally fishermen used to release very small fish back into the water allowing replenishing of the life form. They used to harvest only big fish. Now mechanized fishing is ruthless I its fish catching methods, depleting the replacement capacity of the species. This is affecting the sustainability of aquaculture tradition.
Andhra Pradesh is the fifth most populated state in India. In per sq km density of population, it is the seventh. Nearly 276 persons live per sq km in our state. Now, the population of Andhra Pradesh is eight crore with an annual increasing of 12 lakh persons. The sex-ratio is 978 females for 1000 males, compared to an all –India average of 933: 1000.
The growth of population in Andhra Pradesh was 2.1% between 1961 and 1991. By 2001, it has come down significantly to 1.3%.
Birth rate and death rate
Before 1920, the death-rate in the country was very high due to high incidence of cholera, plague, influenza and other such diseases. As health services improved, the death-rate fell below the birth –rate and population increased enormously. With better health facilities the average life span in Andhra Pradesh now stands at 64.
Religious composition
According to the 2001 census Hindus in Andhra Pradesh comprised 89% Muslims 9.6% and Christians 2% of the population. Muslims form 26% in Hyderabad. Their percentage stands at 13% in Rayalaseema and 11% in Telangana most Christians in the state live in Guntur, waste Godavari and Krishna districts. Each religion has traditions for promoting protection of natural resources. Modernization is replacing these traditions with those that damage natural resources like land, water and trees.
Population and division of labor
In Andhra Pradesh, as in the rest of the country, it is believed that this caste system evolved on a purely economic basic for the division of labor and efficient use of human and natural resources. But later on, it goes determined based on birth and became the root cause of economic and social differences.
Interestingly, the scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh have a wide variety in their occupations. The Cenchus are hunters and the Gonds of the agency areas in the east have taken to dairying, focusing on goats and sheep along with farming.
Shifting cultivation is found among the Savaras and Jaatavas of Srikakulam and Vijayanagar, the Khonds, konda Doars, Kotiyas, Bhagathas, Porjas, Gadbas and Valmiki of Visakhapatnam, and the Konda Reddis of Khammam, west Godavari and East Godavari districts. In some areas the Lambadas are cultivating medicinal herbs such as pippals and sarpagandi. The Konda Reddis, Erukalas, Koyas and Chenchus, are weavers too.
Among the tribes of south India, the Badagas, Todas and Kurumbas had strong economic cooperation within their tribes. Similarly, the Asuras would barter ploughs for food with the Burmaans. In the Raj Mahal Hills, the Badagas depended on the Maler Santhals for their food grains. In turn, the Santhals would depend on them for sugarcane and forecast produce. This mutual dependence ensured that the people did not exploit nature by taking more than what was required, and natural resources were protected.
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