Who do you trust?

Who do you trust?

These notes are from the Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. There are three main tribes in Jhabua-the Bhils, the Bhilalas and the Patelias. 30 percent of the population in the district are the Patelias, 50 percent are the Bhils and around 20 percent belong to the Bhilala tribe. The Bhils are reputed to be the “lowest” caste or the “untouchables”. I am attempting to measure the extent of social capital in tribal dominated villages. Two main domains of social capital are confidence in institutions and mutual trust. I start with the hypothesis that mutual trust and confidence in institutions is a function of education levels and awareness.
Do you trust people from your own caste, was my question to a group of women in a predominantly Bhil village. In unison, the reply was no. Do you think that your neighbor (from the same caste) will help you in times of need? The women denied. Do you trust people from a different tribe? No again. Are there differences in your village based on caste, education level, social status and the answer was in affirmative. I was bewildered at these answers since the entire village was from the Bhil tribe with similar educational and economic background. What could cause such low level of social capital? The next day I visited a village which was inhabited uniformly by the Patelia tribe. Do you trust people from your caste? Yes, we do. Do you trust people from a different caste? “No, not at all”. Are there differences in your village regarding education levels, social status? “No, all of us are the same”. Two questions came to mind, how is it that there were similar replies from all women in each of the village. All women in the Bhil village reported that they don’t trust each other. Similarly, all women in the Patelia village informed that they completely trusted each other. Secondly, is trust a function of the caste? If so, trust is a quality that you are born with? Does trust come with the way you are treated in a society? Since the Bhils are the “lowest” caste, they have a history of being exploited, generation after generation they are indoctrinated to stop trusting one another. Patelias in contrast are said to be honest, hardworking and are mainly agriculturalist, the have no reason to distrust their neighbors. I asked the Bhils, who do you think would help you in times of need? Their reply was baffling! They trusted the money lenders in the market. The same money lenders who charges 10 percent interest monthly if they borrow an amount. The same money lenders who are extortionists! Probably, it is only the money lenders who give them money in times of need. The Patelias replied that they trusted their family, their friends and neighbors. Trust seems to be generational and tribe or caste depended.

Okay this is one of my favorite one- Do you trust the following institutions: Military to defend the country, Police to enforce law, State government to look after the people, Local government (Panchayats) to implement public projects, schools to provide good treatment, politicians to fulfill promises, hospitals to provide good treatment? The Patelias trusted the schools, the hospitals and the Banks. And had no trust in the police, the politicians and the Panchayats. This reply may not be as clear as it seems, as they may trust the schools but won’t actually know what goes on inside the school. Their main responsibility as reported is to send their children to school, what goes on beyond that is not known. The Bhils in contrast, has low confidence in all institutions except schools.

If you need to improve the social or economic situation of your village, where will you go? The Panchayats, was the reply of the Patelias. If you need help with some basic minimum need, whom will you go to? They replied, in order; extended family, nearby friends and neighbors. The Bhils for basic help will go to the money lender and for improving social and economic situations would not go to anyone.
As basic as it may seem- mutual trust and confidence in institutions- is critical for any development work in the villages. Before, starting any development work, it may take a lot of effort simply to gain the trust of some tribes. My initial hypothesis that information and awareness drive trust and confidence may not be true as the status of awareness and information channels were the same in both villages. History determines mutual trust and confidence in institutions among tribes.

Radhika Iyengar

Doctoral Student, Teachers College, Columbia University
Consultant, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Jhabua (www.jssjhabua.net)