Village Voices: 40 Years of Rural Transformation in South India

Synopsis: Examines rural development by observing the different developmental paths of two villages, following the introduction of an irrigation system begun in the 1930s in the Mysore district in South India. An irrigated village, Mangala, becomes a model growth centre; increased agricultural productivity allowed the area to accommodate increasing numbers of people. The villagers have a strong social identity and feel proud of their village achievements. By contrast, Kalenahalli, a dry village, has increasingly suffered from the consequences of emigration to the cities. The disintegration of social ties has resulted in the village becoming absorbed as a suburb of the nearby town of Mandya. The film not only presents how the villagers themselves see the changes, but also how one of them, now a senior administrative official perceives the development. The study on which the film is based was begun by Professor T Scarlett Epstein in 1954 and continued for 43 years up to 1997.
Language: English
Country: Germany
Medium: Video; Videocassette. VHS. col. 60 min.
Year of production: 1999
Availability: Sale; 2000 sale: DM85 (+p&p)
Subjects: Anthropology; Development studies
Keywords: ethnography; India; irrigation systems; village life

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British Universities Film & Video Council