Read the passage and answer the following questions.
'Dominant caste' is a term used to refer to those castes which had a large population and were granted land rights by the partial land reforms effected after independence.
Examples of such dominant caste include Yadavs of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Vokkaligas of Karnataka, the Reddys and Khammas of Andhra Pradesh, the Marathas of Maharashtra, the Jats of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh and Patidars of Gujrat.
One of the most significant yet paradoxical changes in the caste system in the contemporary period is that it has tended to become 'invisible' for the upper caste, urban middle and upper classes. For these groups, who have benefitted the most from the developmental policies of the post colonial era, caste has appeared to decline in significance precisely because has done its job so well. Their caste status had been crucial in ensuring that these groups had the......
Which among these is not a 'dominant caste'?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Gonds of Central India
Option (1) Reddy's of Andhra Pradesh — A dominant caste (Incorrect). The Reddys and Khammas of Andhra Pradesh are given as examples of dominant castes.
Option (2) Jats of Punjab — A dominant caste (Incorrect). The Jats of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh are among the examples of dominant castes.
Option (3) Patidars of Gujarat — A dominant caste (Incorrect). The Patidars of Gujarat complete the list of examples.
Option (4) Gonds of Central India — Not a dominant caste (Correct). A dominant caste is a caste with a large population that was granted land rights by the partial land reforms after Independence. The Gonds are a tribe — one of the biggest tribes of India, along with the Bhils and Santhals — not a caste, so the term does not apply to them.
NCERT (2025-26): “Caste in the Present … ‘Dominant caste’ is a term used to refer to those castes which had a large population and were granted landrights by the partial land reforms effected after Independence. The land reforms took away rights from the erstwhile claimants, the upper castes who were ‘absentee landlords’ in the sense that they played no part in the agricultural economy other than claiming their rent. They frequently did not live in the village either, but were based in towns and cities. These land rights now came to be vested in the next layer of claimants, those who were involved in the management of agriculture but were not themselves the cultivators. These intermediate castes in turn depended on the labour of the lower castes including specially the ‘untouchable’ castes for tilling and tending the land. However, once they got land rights, they acquired considerable economic power. Their large numbers also gave them political power in the era of electoral democracy based on universal adult franchise. Thus, these intermediate castes became the ‘dominant’ castes in the country side and played a decisive role in regional politics and the agrarian economy. Examples of such dominant castes include the Yadavs of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Vokkaligas of Karnataka, the Reddys and Khammas of Andhra Pradesh, the Marathas of Maharashtra, the Jats of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh and the Patidars of Gujarat.” “Permanent Traits … In terms of size, tribes vary a great deal, ranging from about seven million to some Andamanese islanders who may number less than a hundred persons. The biggest tribes are the Gonds, Bhils, Santhals, Oraons, Minas, Bodos and Mundas, all of whom are at least a million strong. The total population of tribes amounts to about 8.2% of the population of India, or about 84 million persons according to the 2001 Census. According to Census Report 2011, it is 8.6% of the population of India, or about 104 million tribal persons in the country.” |