"This study is concerned with people of a relatively small village in India... While change has been a constant feature of their history, the lives of the villagers of Kapileswar were abruptly altered beginning in the late 1940s when a nearby community was designated as the new capital of the state of Orissa and the construction of a modern city was launched. Further change to the existing social and cultural order was precipitated by postindependence social reforms sponsored by India's national government--reforms designed to eliminate caste discrimination, expand educational and economic opportunities and improve various public services. The author's analysis of the data reveals that while some villagers had devised ways to reap economic rewards and improve their living standard... the vast majority remain poverty-stricken."--From foreword.