Question

M.N. Srinivas called his work on Rampura ‘The Remembered Village’ because

• A. ‘collective memory’ is the concept he used to understand Rampura.
• B. his experience in Rampura was memorable.
• C. the village Headman had forbidden Srinivas from taking any notes forcing him to write this account solely from memory.
• D. he lost his field material in a fire and had to rely on his memory to write the book.

Hint:

The title highlights the importance of memory in ethnographic reconstruction when primary data is lost.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Background of the book.
M.N. Srinivas conducted extensive fieldwork in the village of Rampura while studying Indian rural society.
Step 2: Reason for the title.
Unfortunately, Srinivas lost all his original field notes in a fire. As a result, he reconstructed the ethnography entirely from memory.
Step 3: Interpretation of the title.
Because the village was recreated from memory rather than written records, he named the book The Remembered Village.