[UPPSC-UP Special Syllabus Decoded]Rural, Urban and Tribal issues: social structure, festivals, fairs, music, folk dances, literature and languages/dialects, social customs of UP.

1. Social Structure and Issues: Rural, Urban,and Tribal

Trend: Sociological analysis of “Caste Dynamics,” “Urbanization challenges,” and “Tribal Mainstreaming.”

A. Rural Social Structure & Issues

• Structure: Dominant Castes vs. Marginalized groups; Impact of Reservation and Political Mobilization (Identity Politics), Jajmani System, Khap Panchayats:Honor killings vs. Social regulation.
• Key Issues: Agrarian Distress, Land fragmentation, Debt cycle, “Feminization of Agriculture”, Social Exclusion.
• Development Initiatives: Lakhpati Didi, BC Sakhi

B. Urban Social Structure & Issues

• Structure: Class Stratification: The rise of the “New Middle Class”, Migration: “Rural-to-Urban” migration creating a floating population.
• Key Issues: Slums (Malin Basti), Urban Flooding, Safe City: Women safety concerns in rapid urbanization.

C. Tribal Social Structure & Issues

• Key Tribes: Tharu (Terai), Buksa (Bijnor), Kol/Sahariya (Bundelkhand), Gond (Eastern UP), Vantangiya (Forest dwellers).
• Social Customs:
  • Tharu: Matriarchal traces; Joint family system; Badla Vivah (Exchange marriage).
  • Buksa: Social hierarchy (Brahmins, Kshatriyas within tribe); Worship of Chamunda Devi.
• Key Issues: Land Alienation, Identity Crisis, Vantangiya Issues.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Vantangiya Villages: The UP Govt declared 38 Vantangiya villages in Gonda/Bahraich as revenue villages in 2024, granting them voting rights and access to schemes for the first time since independence.
• Family ID (Ek Parivar Ek Pahchan): Launched to map the social structure of every family (Rural & Urban) to ensure saturation of welfare schemes.
• Tribal Museum: Inauguration of the Tharu Janjati Museum in Balrampur (2024) to preserve their unique social structure and artifacts.

2. Festivals and Fairs of Uttar Pradesh

Trend: Focus on “Religious Tourism Economy” and “Intangible Heritage.”

A. Festivals (Utsav)

• Religious: Deepotsav (Ayodhya), Dev Deepawali (Varanasi), Lathmar Holi (Barsana/Nandgaon), Janmashtami (Mathura-Vrindavan)
• Tribal: Bajhar (Tharu festival during Jyeshtha/Baisakh).
• Cultural: Taj Mahotsav (Agra – Art & Craft), Ganga Mahotsav (Varanasi), Lucknow Mahotsav.

B. Fairs (Melas)

• Kumbh/Mahakumbh (Prayagraj): World’s largest human gathering; UNESCO Intangible Heritage.
• Cattle Fairs: Bateshwar Fair, Dadri Mela
• Communal Harmony: Nauchandi Mela (Meerut) – Site of a Devi temple and a Sufi shrine.
• Others: Shakumbhari Devi Mela, Deva Sharif Mela.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Mahakumbh 2025:
  • Theme: “Green & Digital Kumbh.”
  • Infrastructure: Massive expansion of Ghats and the “Tent City.”
  • Economy: Projected to generate ₹50,000 Crore for the UP economy (SBI Report).
• International Trade Show (UPITS): While a trade fair, it showcased UP’s culture alongside commerce (ODOP) to a global audience in Greater Noida.

3. Music and Folk Dances

Trend: Match-the-following questions on Gharanas and region-specific Folk Arts.

1. Music (Sangeet)

• Classical (Hindustani): Lucknow Gharana, Banaras Gharana, Agra/Kirana Gharana.
• Folk Music (Lok Geet): Kajri, Rasiya, Birha, Alha, Sohar

2. Folk Dances (Lok Nritya)

• Classical: Kathak
• Folk: Charkula, Karma, Pai Danda, Dhobia, Rai, Tharu Dance

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Padma Awards 2024: Recognition of folk artists like Khalil Ahmed (Handicraft/Culture) and Urmila Srivastava (Kajri singer) highlights the state’s push to preserve folk traditions.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi: New initiatives in 2024 to document “dying folk forms” of Bundelkhand.

4. Literature and Languages/Dialects

Trend: Contributions of specific litterateurs and the geography of dialects.

1. Languages & Dialects

• Hindi: Official Language; UP as the “Hindi Heartland.”
• Urdu: Second Official Language; Lucknow as a center of Urdu poetry (Shayari).
• Dialect Geography:
  • Kauravi (Khari Boli): Western UP (Meerut, Baghpat) – Base of modern Hindi.
  • Braj Bhasha: Mathura, Aligarh, Agra (Medieval literary language).
  • Avadhi: Lucknow, Ayodhya, Prayagraj (Ramcharitmanas).
  • Bhojpuri: Eastern UP (Gorakhpur, Varanasi) – Maximum speakers.
  • Bundeli: Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur.
  • Bagheli: Banda, Chitrakoot.

2. Literature (Sahitya)

• Ancient/Medieval: Tulsidas, Surdas, Kabir, Malik Md. Jayasi
• Modern: Bhartendu Harishchandra, Munshi Premchand, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Mahadevi Verma

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Dictionary Project: In 2024, the UP Bhasha Sansthan initiated a project to create comprehensive dictionaries for Bhojpuri and Bundeli to preserve local vocabulary.
• Vishwaken Hindi Samman: New awards instituted by the Hindi Sansthan to honor diaspora writers contributing to Hindi.

5. Social Customs of UP

Trend: Questions on “Sanskars” and Tribal customs.

General Customs

• The 16 Sanskars: Importance of rituals from Garbhadhan (Conception) to Antyeshti (Funeral) in Hindu society of UP.
• Marriage Customs: Detailed rituals (Tilak, Dwar-Pooja, Bidaai); Prevalence of Dowry (Dahej) despite laws.
• Food Culture: Sattvic cuisine of temple towns vs. Awadhi cuisine (Galawati Kebabs) vs. Street Food (Chaat/Kachori).

Tribal Customs

• Tharu:
  • Diwali as Mourning: Traditionally, Tharus observed Diwali as a day of mourning for ancestors (Note: This practice is fading).
  • Widow Remarriage: Socially accepted.
• Jaunsari: (Though mostly in Uttarakhand, traces in UP border) – Polyandry traces.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Mass Marriage (Samoohik Vivah): Under the Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivah Yojana, the government sponsored thousands of weddings in 2024, promoting simple, dowry-free customs across all communities.
• Green Cremation: Promotion of electric crematoriums in Varanasi and Prayagraj to modify the Antyeshti custom for environmental protection (Namami Gange).