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The peasants have always had a significant role to play in the economic social and political structure of a country. They have attracted the attention of economists historians sociologists and anthropologists. Scholars in these fields have been looking for contemporary literature in their search for more information about various aspects of rural life. S.N.A. Jafri’s book The History and Status of Landlords and Tenants in the United Provinces (India) was first published in 1931. It deals with the North West Provinces of Agra and the region of Oudh (present day Uttar Pradesh) where the tenant question had a complicated and complex history. These regions witnessed a number of peasant upsurges during 1857-1931. The book gives a vivid description of rural life in the United Provinces. The author has discussed the changing status of the cultivator brought about by constant and judicious legislation to a position of some security. He also deals with the miseries of the cultivator and observes with ‘regret that the general outlook of the life of an agriculturist has changed very little from what it was in the past ages’. The book is divided into two parts with twenty-one chapters altogether. It describes the origin of the revenue system and traces its history from the earliest times to the British period; the revenue settlements in Agra and Oudh; assessment and the legal status of the tenantry; administrative machinery to safeguard tenures; indebtedness and taxation; methods of irrigation; village sanitation; medical relief; education and various aspects related to rural economy and village uplift. The book also deals with village communities taking into account the daily life and habits of agriculturists; social customs and manners; recreation and amusement in the countryside; peasant songs and poetry; and questions related to village autonomy. The author has given substantial data such as budgeting in the peasant families etc. – data which is much needed to explore the economic condition of the people. About the Author S.N.A. Jafri an advocate had direct contact with both landlords and tenants through his profession. The present work is a result of his relationship with these two social classes enriched by an evaluation of the available official and non-official source material on the subject.
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