सामाजिक परिवर्तन र पेसा

The commercial economic system is an economic system in which production is carried out mainly for sale in the market and for profit, and goods, services and labour are exchanged through trade and money. In Nepal it has grown alongside, and partly replaced, the older subsistence and barter economy.

Main features in Nepal

1. Market-oriented production: Farmers, small industries and firms increasingly produce vegetables, tea, cardamom, milk, handicrafts and garments to sell, not only for household use.
2. Use of money: Wages, rent, loans and prices are paid in cash (Rs) instead of grain or labour exchange such as the old bali and haliya arrangements.
3. Trade and commerce: Local haat bazaars, wholesale markets, shopping malls, import-export trade (mainly with India and China) and e-commerce connect producers and consumers.
4. Banking and finance: Commercial banks, cooperatives, microfinance, insurance and digital payments (eSewa, Khalti, mobile banking) support business and savings.
5. Industry and services: Manufacturing, tourism, hydropower, transport, telecommunications, education and health services are run as businesses.
6. Wage labour and remittance: Many people work for wages, and money sent home by migrant workers is a major source of income and consumption.
7. Private and mixed ownership: The private sector, cooperatives and the state all take part, so Nepal follows a mixed economy with a strong commercial element.

Effects on society: It has increased income, employment and mobility, weakened caste-based traditional occupations and made life more urban and consumer-oriented. It has also widened inequality, increased dependence on imports and remittance, and put pressure on small farmers and traditional crafts.

Resistant factors of social change are the forces, attitudes and conditions that slow down, oppose or prevent change in a society. Although change is constant, people and institutions often hold on to the familiar. In Nepal the main resistant factors are the following.

1. Tradition and customs: Long-established practices, rituals and beliefs are treated as sacred, so people fear that giving them up will bring social disapproval or religious loss (for example, resistance to ending chhaupadi or dowry).
2. Religious and cultural conservatism: Religious leaders and orthodox groups may oppose new ideas that seem to challenge faith, such as inter-caste marriage or women's equal rights.
3. Vested interests: Groups that gain power, status or income from the existing order, such as dominant castes, landlords or elites, resist reforms like land reform or caste equality.
4. Illiteracy and lack of awareness: People with little education or exposure do not understand the benefits of new methods and ideas, and so doubt or reject them.
5. Fear of the unknown and habit: Change brings uncertainty, so people prefer familiar ways and worry about loss of security.
6. Poverty and lack of resources: The poor cannot afford new technology, education or health services, so change reaches them slowly.
7. Geographical isolation: Hilly and mountain areas with poor roads, communication and electricity receive fewer outside influences.
8. Weak political will and institutions: Poor implementation of laws and policies, corruption and political instability leave reforms on paper only.
9. Social structure and caste hierarchy: Rigid stratification and patriarchal norms keep unequal roles in place and discourage questioning.
10. Ethnocentrism and cultural pride: Strong attachment to one's own way of life leads to rejection of foreign or new ideas.

These factors explain why social change in Nepal is often uneven, faster in cities and slower in remote and traditional communities.

The change from wearing traditional dress like daura suruwal and gunyu cholo in daily life to wearing modern western clothes such as jeans and shirts is an example of cultural change in my society.

Remittance raises the income of families and helps them meet basic needs such as food, education and health care, which reduces poverty.

Remittance is the money, and sometimes goods, that a person working abroad (or in another place) sends back to his or her family and home country. In Nepal, it is a major source of household income and of foreign currency.

Religious change is the change in the beliefs, practices, rituals, institutions and religious identity of people in a society over time.

Social change is the alteration in the structure, institutions, values, norms and relationships of a society over time. It affects family, economy, culture, education and the way people live and think.

Occupational transformation is the change from one type of occupation to another, usually from traditional, caste- or family-based and agriculture-centred work to new occupations in industry, trade, services, tourism, technology and foreign employment. In Nepal, many people have left traditional work such as farming, blacksmithing, tailoring or pottery and moved to jobs in offices, business, construction and abroad because of education, urbanization, migration and market growth.

Occupational transformation is therefore an important part of social change, because a change in the way people earn a living also changes their income, status, family structure and lifestyle.

The statement "Social change is community change" is justified because society is made up of communities, and when the way of life of a community changes, society as a whole changes.

1. Change in community structure: Joint families, caste-based occupations and village-level relations are changing into nuclear families, open occupations and urban relations, and these changes together reshape society.
2. Change in values and customs: Communities give up practices like child marriage, chhaupadi, untouchability and dowry as awareness grows, and new values of equality and rights spread across society.
3. Change in economy and livelihood: Communities shift from subsistence farming to trade, service and foreign employment, which changes the economic life of society.
4. Change through technology and education: Roads, electricity, mobile phones, the internet and schools bring new ideas to communities, and these slowly spread to the wider society.
5. Change begins locally: Social movements and reforms usually start in communities (for example, community forest groups, women's groups) and expand to the national level.

Thus social change takes place through the change of communities, and the two cannot be separated.

Social change and cultural change are closely related, and one usually leads to the other.

Occupation is the work through which a person earns a living, and livelihood is the means by which people secure food, shelter, income and other needs. In Nepal, occupations are changing from traditional to modern forms, but the economy still depends heavily on a few sectors. The existing situation is described below.

1. Agriculture as the main base: Agriculture is still the largest source of work, employing roughly 60 per cent of the working population and contributing about one quarter of GDP. Most farmers have small landholdings, depend on rain and use traditional tools, so production is mostly for subsistence. Livestock, vegetables, tea, cardamom and ginger are growing in commercial importance.

2. Traditional caste-based occupations: Blacksmithing, tailoring, cobbling, pottery, weaving and goldsmithing were carried out by particular castes. These are declining because of factory-made goods, education and changing attitudes, and many families now work in other fields.

3. Industry and trade: Manufacturing, construction, hydropower, small cottage industries, shops and wholesale trade are growing, mainly in towns such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Pokhara. Industrial growth is still limited and many firms are small.

4. Services and tourism: Tourism, banking, education, health, transport, telecommunication and information technology provide a growing number of jobs, especially for educated youth in urban areas.

5. Foreign employment and remittance: Millions of Nepalis work in India, the Gulf countries, Malaysia and elsewhere. Remittance contributes roughly one quarter of GDP, and for many households it is the main source of income for food, education and housing.

6. Informal sector and wage labour: A large share of people work in informal jobs such as daily wage labour, street vending and domestic work. These jobs offer low pay, little security and no social protection.

7. Unemployment and underemployment: Many youths do not find suitable work at home, and many farmers are underemployed outside the farming season. This pushes people towards migration.

8. Gender and regional differences: Women do much unpaid agricultural and household work, and many men have migrated abroad, so women now manage farms. Access to jobs and income is better in urban areas than in remote hills and mountains.

9. Government and cooperative efforts: Programmes such as the Prime Minister Employment Programme, microfinance, cooperatives, skill training and agricultural subsidies aim to create jobs and raise livelihoods.

Conclusion: Nepalese occupations are shifting from agriculture and caste-based work towards services, trade and foreign employment. Yet low productivity, unemployment and dependence on remittance remain serious problems, so more industries, vocational training and modernised agriculture are needed for secure livelihoods.

Agriculture is the main occupation followed by the people in my community for their livelihood.

Social change is the alteration or transformation in the structure, institutions, values, norms, and patterns of social relationships of a society over time. It may be gradual or rapid, planned or unplanned, and it affects the way people live, think, and interact. In simple terms, social change refers to the modification of social organisation and social behaviour from one stage to another. For example, the shift of Nepalese society from a traditional agricultural and caste-based order towards a more urban, occupational, and market-oriented society is a form of social change.

Three causes of people not being involved only in the traditional occupation in contemporary Nepalese society:

1. Education and awareness: The expansion of schools, colleges, and technical education has raised people's awareness about alternative careers. Educated youths no longer wish to remain confined to their caste-based or family occupations; they prefer jobs based on merit, skill, and interest.

2. Urbanisation and industrialisation: The growth of towns, cities, industries, and the service sector has created new employment opportunities in factories, offices, banking, tourism, transport, and information technology. People migrate from villages to urban areas in search of these jobs, leaving their traditional occupations.

3. Globalisation and modern means of communication: Exposure to foreign employment, remittances, the internet, social media, and global markets has changed people's aspirations and lifestyles. Youths are attracted to modern, better-paying occupations abroad or in the private sector, which weakens their attachment to traditional occupations.

Other supporting causes include government policies promoting economic diversification, the attraction of higher income and prestige in modern jobs, and the decline in the profitability of traditional agriculture.

Introduction

The Raute are the last nomadic hunting-and-gathering community of Nepal. They are a very small indigenous group (Adivasi Janajati), also called Ban Raja (kings of the forest). Their population is only a few hundred to about a thousand, so the state lists them as a highly marginalised and endangered community. They move through the forests of the mid-western and far-western hills, mainly in Dailekh, Surkhet, Salyan, Dadeldhura, Kailali and nearby districts. Their language, Raute, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family and is spoken by very few people.

Livelihood of the Raute

1. Hunting and gathering: This is their traditional main occupation. Men hunt monkeys, deer and birds with bows, arrows and traps, while women and children collect wild fruits, roots, tubers, honey and edible leaves. They do not farm or rear livestock for a living.

2. Nomadic life: They do not live permanently in one place. When the animals and forest products of one area become scarce, they shift camp to another forest and live in temporary huts of branches and leaves.

3. Wooden craft and barter: Raute men make wooden bowls, plates, spoons and containers from soft wood. They exchange these with local villagers for grain, salt, cloth and iron tools, since they use money very little.

4. Dependence on the forest: Food, shelter, fuel, medicine and tools all come from the forest, and they treat it with respect and worship. Deforestation and conservation restrictions therefore threaten their livelihood directly.

5. Collective living: They live in small bands led by a Mukhiya. Work is shared and food is distributed among all members, so the group survives together.

Conclusion

The Raute livelihood is forest-based, nomadic and collective, built on hunting, gathering, wooden craft and barter. Shrinking forests and pressure to settle are fast eroding this way of life, so the state should protect their forest rights, culture and dignity.