Indian Village is widely considered a "classic." Since its publication, over six decades ago, the book has received immense acclaim, attaining extraordinary success, especially as the first book on a single village in post--Second World War South Asia. Indeed, the work represents a key statement of the wider shift from tribe to village in Indian anthropology, part of the movement away from studies of "isolated" groups toward writings on con-temporary communities in the sociology of the subcontinent. Written in an accessible, intimate manner, Indian Village needs to be understood today as a flagship endeavour of the social sciences in a young, independent India--a study that continues to be generously cited, including as a model monograph, in the disciplines at large.