SERICUL TURE AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE - Institute for ...

of the village population. There are different areas of interaction among
the castes within the village, the important ones being jajmani relations,
labour relations and credit relations. However, today, many of these
relations have given way to alteration of these relations.
Jajmani Relations: Elder's study of Rajpur village shows how
even the appearance of competitive technology has led some of the
jajmani relationships obsolete (1971:121,126). Newell (1970) too points
to the weakening of jajmani relationship. Similar observations have been
made by others too (e.g., Harper 1959; Epstein 1962). In the context of
sericulture, Karanth (1987:2218-22), finds that the institution itself is
adapted to suit the changing needs of the people both in the past and in
recent years. Karanth (1995: 108-11) also notices an increased demand
for the services of artisans, in the context of Sericulture.
In Seripura, only the traces of the jajmani system continue today.
Though some of the services like that of barber and washer-man
continue to operate, there are significant variations in its present form.
The services are preferably paid in monetary tenns. There are only a few
including some of the sericulturists who continue to maintain the
traditional relationship. The discontinuation has been mainly due to the
unsatisfactory observance of the tenns and conditions on either sides.
Added to this is the availability of the services on better terms and the
diversification of economic interests by the service castes. They render
seTVlces on monetary terms. The traditional service of 'Thoti'
(messenger), by one of the se families, belonging to the Parayan, is
continued. The Vanniars have their own 'thoti' while the KVGs and
other non-Se communities have a different 'thotti'. Most of the land-
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