Telangana SCERT Solution Class VI (6) Social Studies Chapter 9 Community Decision Making in a Tribe.
( 1 ) Why do you think was Panch and Patla possible only within a tribe ? Why it is not possible in societies with people from different communities?
The members of the tribe never considered themselves as distinct and shared an equal bonding. They treated each other as their relatives because they believed that they were descendants from a familiar ancestors. They never considered the resources to be a distinct wealth but rather they regarded it as a common wealth that is equally shared by the members of the tribe. Furthermore, no distinction lied in the status of rich and poor , as everyone possessedan equal allowance to use the resources in a collective manner.Every member of the tribe are indulged in similar type of activities such as animal grazing , food gathering and farming and each task is shared in an equitable manner by all the members of the family. Several festivals are also celebrated with an aim of pleasing their tribal gods. In contrast to this , distinct rites and rituals are followed by people from different communities. As a result of which, it will give rise to a conflicting situation. Due to this reason, Panch and Patla was possible only within a tribe and not in societies where people from different communities reside.
( 2 ) Have you heard of any such community panchayat in your area? Discuss it’s functioning with your teachers, parents and elders.
The existence of such community panchayat are seen mainly in the distant villages of Telangana. These panchayats are comprised of a headman or Patla. The arousal of any sort of disputes paves the way for the need of the panchayat. The headman holds the prime responsibility to inquire about the specific details from the victim . Correspondingly, the perpetrator will also be given an opportunity to express his view. The gatherings will also be questioned by the Patla for the purpose of seeking further specifics. The headman then announces his decision after considering theentire details of the case. Therefore, the villagers are expected to abide by the pronouncement of his judgement.
(3) Would you consider the judgement of the Gond panchayat without going to the police or court ?
In order to settle any kind of disputes on the ground of common law , the court serves as the primary means for solving such kind of conflicts. Each member of the society possesses the ability to file a case in the court or register a complaint to the police. The main function of the police or court is to handle the dispute in such a manner so that they canend up with a fair justice . Furthermore, the judgements made by the panchayat does not apply to the higher level and remains subsided to the downward level . In the eyes of the supreme court , the decisions made by the panchayat fails to attach any kind of legal sanctions.
( 4 ) If the Panch did injustice, what alternatives did the tribes have ?
In earlier times, the decision of the Panch was served as the ultimate judgement. The Panch also possessed the right to remove the Patla , if he failsto comply with the wishes of the people. In such case , the Panch replaced the headman with another person . But in the course of time , the modern Panchayati Raj elections came into being , as several different communities such as Telugus and Marathas started to reside in the Gond villages. Furthermore, with an aim of resolving the disputes, most of the people started approaching the courts or police. Through the occurrence of direct election of Sarpanches, the importance of the headman declined to a considerable extent.
(6 ) Read the para under title Village Headman and comment on it.
There is a headman or ‘Patla’ in each village and these headman possessed a hereditary status. Inspite of holding an effective position , he is also answerable to the Panch. The headman performs his functions on a regular basis, as the Panch meets only occasionally. The chief role of Patla is to assure solidarity and harmony of the villagers. In the greatest interest of the villagers , his task is to handle the intruders and agents of the government departments.He is also responsible for coordinating various activities of the village communities. He also handled the responsibility of feeding and entertaining the guests of the village. In exchange to all this , all men and women of the village had to work as agricultural laborers in his field for an entire day. Furthermore, the Panch possessed the right to remove the Patla , if he fails to comply with the wishes of the people. In such case , the Panch replaced the headman with another person.