The note presents the social and economic profiles of three villages - Vilayatpur of Jullander district in Punjab, Sarangpur of Allahabad district in UP, and Zawar, a tribal village of Udaipur district in Rajasthan. It discusses the process and direction of social change which these villages witnessed due to (a) new opportunities in agriculture and industry and those accruing from the development of infrastructure, and (b) people's ability to harness these opportunities within the framework of their goals, expectations, and values. In Vilayatpur, the changes started with the development of works like roads and irrigation and the introduction of HYV seeds and related practices. In Sarangpur, it started because of the villagers' contact with the outside world. In Zawar, the impetus came from the new job opportunities in the mines and the high risks in agriculture in a drought-prone area.