In 1916-17, Gilbert Slater, a professor of economics at the University of Madras, conducted a survey of five villages in present-day Tamil Nadu with the help of his students. Each student, who hailed from one of the villages, administered a questionnaire designed to understand the socioeconomic conditions of rural households as they actually existed, rather than relying on textbook knowledge.
The villages surveyed by Slater’s students, known as the “Slater villages,” included Dusi (North Arcot), Iruvelpattu (South Arcot), Palakurichi (Thanjavur), Vadamalaipuram (Ramanathapuram), and Gangaikondan (Tirunelveli). These villages were later resurveyed by economists from Madras University led by PJ Thomas in 1936-37.
Palakurichi, which is now part of Kilvelur taluka in Nagapattinam district, was studied again in 1964, 1983, 2004, and 2019 by scholars from various institutions. This makes Palakurichi a uniquely studied Indian village over a period of more than 100 years. The only comparable example is Palanpur, a village in Bilari tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district that has been surveyed every decade since India’s Independence.
Longitudinal studies, such as those conducted on Palakurichi and Palanpur, provide valuable insights into the changing patterns of rural India. While large-scale surveys like those conducted by the National Sample Survey Office offer a macro-level view, village studies track changes in specific areas over time.
The 2019 survey of Palakurichi village has been published in a recent volume titled “Economic Change in the Lower Cauvery Delta: A Study of Palakurichi and Venmani.” This village, located in the lower Cauvery delta, has historically been known as the “rice bowl of South India.” However, its agricultural landscape has changed significantly over the years, with a decline in the percentage of the workforce engaged in farming and a reduced contribution of the farm sector to household income.
Another significant finding from the village surveys is the diminishing power of traditional upper caste landholders. In Palakurichi, the dominance of the Naidu community in land ownership has decreased, while the middle caste Padayatchi or Vanniyar and Dalit communities have seen an increase in land ownership.
As rural India becomes less dependent on agriculture, it is important to ensure that cultivated lands continue to be farmed or even improved. Policy measures are needed to protect the interests of landowners and encourage tenant farmers to invest in the long-term productivity of leased lands.
In conclusion, longitudinal village studies like those conducted on Palakurichi and Palanpur provide valuable insights into the changing socioeconomic landscape of rural India, complementing the larger surveys conducted at the national or regional level. These studies highlight the need for policies to support sustainable agriculture and address shifts in land ownership and labor patterns.
