This text examines the role played by television in the social environment of village life in India. The author delves into the lives of villagers and looks at the impact of television on their aspirations, values, ideas, relationships and traditions.

The influence of massmedia as a medium of information to society has become so vital that any activity cannot move towards development without the touch of media. And television is one of them. This book attempts to study the role of television in social change in India, with special reference to rural Meghalaya. Analysing the role of television as a medium of information, it examines its relationship with social development, culture changes, growth of education and economic condition.

Television occupies a special status because of its potential to communicate through the two sensory organs (eyes and ears) simultaneously and to reach a large section of population living in isolated communities. As an instructional tool, Television is being used in a variety of ways i.e. for direct teaching, for supplementing the formal education, for developing psycho motor skills, for eradicating illiteracy, for adult education, etc. It is expected that this medium can effectively be used for rural development aside from solving the problems of inaccessibility, illiteracy and shortage of skilled persons in India, By seeing the much promising results of the Television, now there is a feeling that this medium can efficiently be used to reduce the communication gap between the ruralites and the Extension workers. At present, the Television service in India is available throughout the country. The purpose in this study has been to analyze social change within the village community by focusing on various aspects of village life of the people in the study area. A broader look at the peer relations which lie at the foundations of all these relationship has also been taken.

Contributed research articles of the National Seminar on Media and Rural Development held recently at Jaipur; with special reference to India.