Village God

Description

Village-gods by Dharmpal Singh is an English translation of Ram Deo Shukla’s Bhojpuri novel Gramdevta, originally published in 2000. Set in a village of eastern Uttar Pradesh, the novel presents a stark and realistic picture of rural society, exposing caste discrimination, social hypocrisy, superstition, corruption, sexual exploitation, and the misuse of religious and social authority. Through the village Panchayat and a vivid gallery of characters such as Awatar Baba, Harakh Narayan, Sonmati, Kasi, Girgit and others, the narrative reveals how power, money, caste and prejudice shape village life. At the same time, the novel uses humour, satire and irony to highlight the contradictions between outward morality and private behaviour. Harakh Narayan and Jumman Miyan emerge as notable figures of compassion and humanity amid widespread social decay. The translation retains the flavour of Bhojpuri by preserving culturally specific words and expressions, making Village-gods not only a compelling literary work but also a significant representation of rural Indian life and marginalised voices for a wider English-reading audience.