Dhani and Villages - Work

Work

All villagers have some type of skill to generate money in case of drought. Also, the basic needs of villagers are fulfilled by local craftsmen who are for many generations engaged in a particular trade, such as tailor, grocer, priest or pundit, carpenter, blacksmith, barber, weaver, potter, leather workers, street sweeper, waterbearers, and so on. The craftsmen make artistic things: even a bullock cart may have many carving and improvisation depending on the imagination of artisan. Village religious observances and weddings are occasions for members of various castes to provide customary ritual goods and services in order for the events to proceed according to proper tradition. The artisans of some villages make handicrafts items that are in high demand in big cities for decorative purposes.

In villages, some professions are strictly traditional, while a few others have been adopted by people with a pragmatic approach. Aside from caste-associated occupations, villages often include people who practice nontraditional occupations. For example, Brahmans or Thakurs may be shopkeepers, teachers, truckers, or clerks, in addition to their caste-associated occupations of priest and farmer. Villagers may move to other places in search of better opportunities but never forget their roots. In villages near urban areas, an increasing number of people commute to the cities to take up jobs, and many migrate. Some migrants leave their families in the village and go to the cities to work for months at a time.

At slack seasons, village life in India can appear to be sleepy, but usually villages are humming with activity. The work ethic is strong, with little time out for relaxation, except for numerous divinely sanctioned festivals and rite-of-passage celebrations. Residents are quick to judge each other, and improper work or social habits receive strong criticism. Indian villagers feel a sense of village pride and honor, and the reputation of a village depends upon the behavior of all of its residents.

Camels and buffaloes are used for pulling the plough, and most of the farmers wait for the rains to water their fields. Three important crops grown in Rajasthan are wheat, corn and millet. Lentils, cotton and spices are also important cash crops. Work like plowing or harvesting is done on cooperative basis.