‘In Search of the Indian Village’ tells forgotten stories of throbbing villages

Aradhika Sharma

IF the Indian village perishes, India will too.” These words by Mahatma Gandhi hold great significance. As per the 2011 census, India has 6,49,481 villages, with 70 per cent of the country’s population residing in them. Villages are crucial to the social, economic and political lives of people in India.

Mamang Dai, a Sahitya Akademi awardee, has compiled an extensive collection of literature on village life. It includes short stories, articles, journalistic accounts and poems by some of India’s most exceptional writers and authors. This collection features works by writers like Mahasweta Devi, Vijaydan Detha, Damodar Mauzo, OV Vijayan and Ruskin Bond.

The non-fiction section includes Gandhiji’s essay, ‘My Idea of Village Swaraj’, where he describes his vision of the Indian village as “a complete republic, independent of its neighbours for its vital needs, and yet interdependent for many others, in which dependence is necessary”. However, in Surinder S Jodhka’s article, ‘The Village as the Nation Making of the Indian Common Sense’, different visions of the Indian village by early nation-builders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar are presented. Ambedkar’s view differed significantly from Gandhiji’s. He called for a radical transformation of village communities and defined the village as “the working plant of the Hindu social order”, where caste was the basis for differences and inequalities. Despite their varying visions for the Indian village, Nehru, Gandhi and Ambedkar viewed the Indian village essentially as Hindu, divided by caste alignments, and marked by differences, injustices and inequalities.

Through insightful reportage, P Sainath introduces a diverse cast of characters from rural areas, including a notorious landlord, illegal liquor producers, and cockfight organisers in his article, ‘Despots, Distillers, Poets and Artists: Characters of the Countryside’.

Rahul M’s account sheds light on the gradual erosion of a village due to the advancing sea. This phenomenon has occurred in the village of Uppada, located in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The article is aptly titled ‘Oh, That House? It’s in the Sea Now — There!’ As the sea swallows up the land, the social, economic and religious fabric of the community has also undergone significant changes. Unfortunately, many people have lost their homes due to this natural disaster. Amitava Kumar’s tongue-in-cheek ‘The Rat’s Guide’ explores the connection between diet and identity in the heartland of Bihar.

The fiction section addresses the issue of continued inequalities such as caste and economic inequality, that persist in the villages of India even after 76 years of Independence. ‘The Seed’ by Mahasweta Devi is a heart-wrenching tale of the poor villagers who are exploited by the ruthless zamindar of the village. The villagers can’t dare to ask the landlord for an increase in their payments to work on his land as the powerful can manipulate governmental machinery and get away with everything, from arson to murder. The end is violent: Dulan Ganju, a poor peasant who was forced to bury the corpses, driven almost to insanity by guilt and grief, smashes the zamindar’s head with a rock.

‘Countless Hitlers’ by Vijaydan Detha is a violent story about power struggle. The drama unfolds on a village road where four brothers are driving their new, shiny red tractor. They engage in a fierce ego battle with a cyclist, who has the misfortune of racing with them. The cyclist, overjoyed with his newfound love for the girl of his dreams, pedals furiously, reveling in the rush of adrenaline. Little does he know that the arrogance of his competitors and their obsession with power will ultimately lead to a tragedy.

The anthology includes Ruskin Bond’s much loved ‘The Blue Umbrella’, a charming story about the lives of a brother and sister, filled with simple joys.

Mamang Dai’s anthology provides a comprehensive portrayal of the intricate realities of village life across various regions in India. It is a commentary on the socio-political landscape of rural India.