Browsing by Author "Koreti, S.I."

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Railway Expansion in Central Provinces (Middle India) during colonial Period
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Koreti, S.I.
Transport is an important infrastructure indispensable for the development process of a country. Without proper means of transport and communications it may not be possible for any government to administer a vast country like India. Indian railways played a vital role in the economic development and integration of India. It has brought about remarkable changes in the economic, political, social and cultural life of the country. The introduction of Railways, which is one of the legacies of the British rule in India, has not only caused a remarkable increase in the quick communication between different parts of India but also resulted in profound changes in the habits and outlook of the people. Railways were the most important infrastructure development in India from 1850 to 1947. In terms of the economy, railways played a major role in integrating markets and increasing trade. Domestic and international economic trends shaped the pace of railways construction and the demand for the important traffic flows to the ports. The traditional way of trade and commerce has totally changed, and the volume of the trade increased manifold. The railway expansion in Central Provinces affected the local cotton trade tremendously and boosted up the volume of cotton export from Central Provinces to the international market. The railway has brought fortune for some traders and business people but at the same time affected the lives of the local societies dealing with the supply and transport of the cotton. In the nineteenth century, cotton was in great demand in the world market as a cash crop. The need for raw cotton during the industrial revolution motivated Great Britain to colonize the rich cotton growing lands in India. The Central Provinces of India (middle India) were geographically known for cotton growing. The cotton connection with Central Provinces played a major role in shaping and reshaping the economy and society. Thus, the researcher has tried to analyze the facts and tried to present the merits and demerits of railway expansion in the economy of the Central provinces and its people.
Religion of the ‘Gond’ Tribes of Middle India
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Koreti, S.I.
Religion of the Gond Tribes of Middle India
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Koreti, S.I.
ones understanding of everyday life. In many societies, religion affects the way one relates to each other. Religious beliefs often guide our social interaction. Religion can be a unifying factor in some societies. The Gond tribes in India invariably had oral religion. That was, the theory and beliefs about religion were not written in any language. The beliefs were transmitted by word of mouth and were passed on as tradition from one generation to another. They are still reflected through the myths and legends popular among them. In Gond society, religion was an integral part of total ongoing way of life. The attitude of the primitive’s mind was very different from that of the civilized man. The natural world they lived was itself a quite another aspect to them. All its objects and all its entities were involved in a system of mystic participation and exclusions; it was these, which constitute its cohesion and its order. In general terms, the word religion is understood as a set of institutionalized beliefs and practices that deal with the ultimate meaning of life. Religion, like the essence of a culture, provides a blue print for the behaviour of the individual member of society on the basis of principles sustained by the divine, supernatural or transcendent order of morality. Religion is something that human beings follow as members of social groups and therefore the study of religion invariably leads to the study of people and culture. The Gonds were not included in Hindu religion by Hindus as they were very much different to the Hindu people and were different to the untouchables of Hindu society. Hindu religion did not consider them untouchable; neither had they have been marginalized in any other religion. The background of Gond religion might be existed in the early religious life of the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. The Gonds of the Middle India had a religion of their own, which was practiced widely in the past and present too. It is still known as Koya Punem in Gondi culture. However, with the changing time and intervention by the various intruders its originality is corrupted. The Gond tribes were driven by intruders from their original places and were forced to remain aloof from the rest of the world. Thus, their religion is not recognized even today as a distinct identity, instead it is considered as savage by many. The religious ideas of the Gonds are no less influential than any other religion of the world. The traditional religious ideas were enough to maintain peace and harmony among the community people. Hence, its existence and presence should be recognized to interpret the cosmic world of Gonds and to understand the ethnic development of the Gond tribe of Middle India.