Poverty in a Below Poverty Village: A Phenomenological Experience

Abstract

Despite India’s record of rapid economic growth and policies for poverty reduction over recent decades, rising inequality in the country has been a subject of concern among policy makers, academician and activists alike. Poverty and Social Exclusion are closely knit and are a typical characteristic of rural India along with division on lines of caste, tribe, socio economic status, age and gender. These inequalities are more structural in nature and have kept the discriminated groups trapped, unable to validate their personhood what to talk of growth. The cultural belief system as well as, the social fabric perpetuate inequality, reinforcing culture of poverty that afflicts disadvantaged groups. The psyche trapped there in is unknown, unheard and hence become silent voice. The present paper attempts to unfold the life of two farm labour referred here as A & B living in a below poverty line (BPL) village of Jaunpur district known as Lebrua village in the framework of phenomenological perspective. The narrative analysis in the present paper reveals the experience of poverty.