CHAPTER—IV
SOME ASPECTS OF LIFE IN THE VILLAGE,
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Human life is an organic whole. There are no such
divisions as economic and social in actual life. We, how-
ever, make such divisions only with a view to make our
study precise and accurate by selecting one of its multifa-
rious aspects. While doing this we should not forget the
fact of the fundamental unity of life. The main theme
of this work is to study the economic life of the people of
Atgam. The economic life of any group of people is sure
to be affected by some aspects of its social life—like the
marriage and death ceremonies which involve expendi-
ture ; the religious beliefs of the people which materially
influence the state of their mind and make them pessimis-
tic or optimistic in their outlook on life ; education, the
presence or absence of which affects production, and simi-
lar other aspects. The object of this chapter is to follow
up the preceding one, which principally deals with the
people of Atgam in a general way, by studying a few
aspects of their social life which have an important bear-
ing on their economic life. In order to appreciate the
significance of the effects of social aspects on economic
life, we shall first describe the routine of daily life in the
village and then consider (i) education (2) religious
beliefs and festivals, (3) civil condition, and (4) social
customs—like marriage, remarriage and death ceremony.
THE ROUTINE OF DAILY LIFE
The average daily life led by an Atgam dweller is mo-
notonous. It may appear almost mechanical to a Bom-
bayite with his multifarious activities amidst the incessant