Photo essay – Rural industrialization in India

Global Sociology does not cover the social and economic development of India in any detail. There are casual references to the differences between India and China (pp. 1–2) and discussion of India as one of the four BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that are growing, despite the recession in developed parts of the world (pp. 63, 65, 67, 76, 95, 99, 249, 355, 361,369, 393, 407). This photo essay extends and complements coverage of Indian industrialization in the book.

Industrialization takes many forms in India. At one end are global conglomerates like the TATA group, involved in cutting edge IT, energy and engineering products and operating in 80 countries on all 6 continents. At the other end are tiny micro-enterprises that are often based in small villages. The Indian census of 2001 counted 638,596 villages which contained nearly three-quarters of the population (see the discussion on pp. 117–8). Though often depicted as static backwaters, the villages in India are 'on the move'. Children are getting educated and small workshops are growing up in parallel with agricultural pursuits. Considerable ingenuity in the use of machinery is often on display.

These photos were taken in some of the poorest villages in Rajasthan in March and April 2012.

Click here to view the photos.

Text and photos by Robin Cohen. The photos are not copyrighted, but if you do use them we would appreciated an acknowledgement and link to this site.