SociologyIndian Society: Market as a social Institution

Which of the following pairs of a community and its description is co…

Which of the following pairs of a community and its description is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Banjaras - a marginalised tribal group that controlled the long-distance salt trade

Option (1) Sindhis - a caste group that entered trade and then claimed Vaisya status — Incorrect. The Sindhis are a traditional business community with a distinctive community identity. A caste that entered trade and then claimed Vaisya status describes some other caste groups.

Option (2) Bohras - a Vaisya community with trade as its traditional occupation — Incorrect. The Bohras are not a Vaisya community. They are a business community with a distinctive religious identity, counted beside the Vaisyas.

Option (3) Banjaras - a marginalised tribal group that controlled the long-distance salt trade — Correct. During the colonial period the long-distance salt trade was controlled by the Banjaras, a marginalised 'tribal' group. This shows that merchant communities did not always have a high status.

Option (4) Parsis - a Vaisya community found mainly in the bazaars of North India — Incorrect. The Parsis are not a Vaisya community. They are a business group with a distinctive religious identity, and the Vaisya traders of North India are the banias.

NCERT (2026-27): “Social Organisation of Markets – ‘Traditional Business Communities’ …
Although there are ‘Vaisya’ communities (such as banias in North India), whose traditional occupation has been trade or commerce for a long time, there are some caste groups that have entered into trade. Such groups tend to acquire or claim ‘Vaisya’ status in the process of upward mobility. Like the history of all caste communities, in most cases there is a complex relationonship between caste status or identity, and caste practices, including occupation. The ‘traditional business communities’ in India include not only ‘Vaisyas’, but also other groups with distinctive religious or other community identities, such as the Parsis, Sindhis, Bohras, or Jains. Merchant communities did not always have a high status in society; for instance, during the colonial period the long-distance trade in salt was controlled by a marginalised ‘tribal’ group, the Banjaras. …”

Which of the following pairs of a community and its description is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Banjaras - a marginalised tribal group that controlled the long-distance salt trade