Question

Answer the following question in detail. (About 150 words)

'Traditional communities tend to hold on to their customs, traditions and beliefs.’ Using examples of your own, explain the statement with special reference to either family or religion. Also, discuss any three ways by which change is introduced into traditional communities.

Answer 1

Traditions customs and beliefs bind people together and build bonds between them. By sharing a sacred quality and worshipping together a 'collective conscience emerges' religion is not just a set of beliefs, it involved sacred rituals. It creates a single moral community that is collective. Religion legitimises society's values, customs, and traditions by making them sacred. Hence 'Traditional communities tend to hold on to their customs, traditions and beliefs.'

With reference to the family:
In India, in a typical joint family, all members reside together in one house. They eat food prepared jointly; they hold common property. In the Indian family, the feeling of dependence and discipline is found on a large scale. The social-economic, religious and cultural life of the Indian family is collective in nature. In the family of traditional communities, the members believe in one religion and they worship the same deities. Various religious rituals are jointly celebrated and all the members participate in them. All family members take part in the common worship, rituals, rites, and ceremonies. They are homogeneous in nature and everybody works for a common goal and the welfare of all members. It provides shelter to all its members, including the weak, aged, and widows.

Change introduced into traditional communities:
Due to the impact of various factors like industrialisation, urbanisation, advanced means of transport and communication, social legislation, spread of modern education, democratic political system, changes are occurring in the structure and functions of traditional communities. Accordingly, the family in India has undergone significant changes. Due to the impact of industrialisation and urbanisation traditional joint family is replaced by the nuclear family. Due to urbanisation social relationships have become more formal and contractual. Customs, traditions, values, rituals, beliefs have changed.

Today the size of the family is decreasing. The power of patriarchal authority has been declining. Various social legislations have provided individuals many rights. Besides, due to the impact of the spread of education, individualism, democratic values like liberty and equality, personal desires are becoming dominant. Though the head of the family is the husband, and he has to make decisions by taking into consideration the opinions and desires of his wife and children. Families or religion in the traditional communities was based on collectivity. Due to the impact of individualism, the importance of kinship is decreasing. The recreational function of the family is losing its importance because modern means of recreation have become popular.