The Peasant in Literature and Cinema — From Premchand's Hori to Bimal Roy's Two Acres of Land
N. Singh · ·7 min read
Translated from the original Hindi · मूल हिंदी लेख पढ़ें
Whenever one imagines an exploited, helpless, yet self-respecting peasant in Indian society, two timeless images flash like lightning across the mind of every sensitive Indian.
पहली छवि है—मुंशी प्रेमचंद के अमर उपन्यास ‘गोदान’ (1936) के नायक ‘होरी’ की। The first image is that of ‘Hori’, the protagonist of Munshi Premchand’s immortal novel ‘Godan’ (1936). That Hori, whose only lifelong dream was to have a cow tethered at his doorstep. He toils day and night in the field, pays rent to the zamindar (feudal landlord), settles the interest demanded by the patwari (village land-records keeper) and the mahajan (traditional moneylender), and in the end, suffering a sunstroke in the sweltering midday heat, gasps in agony and breathes his last by the roadside. On his deathbed, when the priest says that “Only through godan (the sacred gift of a cow) will you attain salvation”, his wife Dhaniya takes out coins worth twenty annas from the pallu (loose end of a sari) of her torn sari, places them at the priest’s feet, and weeps: “Maharaj! There is neither a cow in the house, nor a calf, nor any money. These twenty annas are all there is; this is his godan!”
And the second image is that of Shambhu Mahato (Balraj Sahni), the protagonist of Bimal Roy’s world-renowned 1953 cinematic classic ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ (Two Bighas of Land). The village’s ruthless zamindar wants to usurp Shambhu’s ancestral two bighas (a traditional unit of land measurement) of land to construct his mill. To stave off the auction of his land, Shambhu journeys to the metropolis of Calcutta with his young son and pulls a two-wheeled hand-rickshaw barefoot through scorching sun and rain. In a desperate race to deliver a passenger quickly, he sprints so fast with the rickshaw that his heart gives out, the rickshaw overturns, and he crashes onto the street, vomiting blood. In the end, when he returns to his village, he finds a monstrous chimney spewing smoke over his two bighas of land; when he tries to pick up a fistful of soil from his own land, the security guard shoves him away!
In Chapter 2 (‘The Triveni (Confluence) of Peasantry’s Anguish: The Farmer in Literature, Poetry, and Cinema’) of his seminal book ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaanv’ (Desolated Farming, Dying Villages), N. Singh asks: Even 78 years after Independence, has the peasant of our country been able to break free from the terrifying destiny of Hori and Shambhu Mahato? Or has only the face of the zamindar changed—earlier it was the lala (moneylender-merchant) and the patwari, today it is the bank recovery agent and the corporate real-estate builder?
The Peasant in Poetry: The Outrage of Kedarnath Agarwal and Nagarjun
N. Singh points out that literary writers did not merely shed tears, but sowed gunpowder against the system:
- Kedarnath Agarwal’s ‘Kisan Stavan’ (Ode to the Peasant):
Describing the peasant’s labour as greater than the worship of God, poet Kedarnath Agarwal wrote:
“Like a beautiful hand destined to scorch upon a blazing iron griddle…
He burns in the sun, he shivers in the winter cold,
He tears open the breast of the earth to grow gold for the world,
And goes to sleep on an empty stomach upon a tattered mat!” - The Clarion Call of the People’s Poet Nagarjun: Striking at the hypocrisy of post-Independence leaders, Nagarjun wrote that politicians clad in gleaming khadi garments have locked away the peasant’s sweat inside their own vaults.
- The Cinematic Confluence: ‘Mother India’ and ‘Upkar’:
- In Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’ (1957), Radha (Nargis) pawns her bangles to battle the cruel debt-trap of Lala Sukhiram.
- In Manoj Kumar’s ‘Upkar’ (1967), Prime Minister Shastri’s slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer) was brought to the silver screen, where one brother guards the frontier while the other ploughs the field.
The Peasant of Literature and Cinema versus the Present Reality of the 21st Century
| Period / Medium | The Peasant’s Primary Struggle | The Cruel Face of the System |
|---|---|---|
| Godan (1936) | Feudal rent, moneylenders’ interest, and religious hypocrisy | Zamindars, patwaris, moneylenders, and priests |
| Do Bigha Zamin (1953) | Forcible acquisition of fertile land for industrialisation | Mill owners, court clerks, and the inhumanity of the metropolis |
| Mother India (1957) | Natural calamities (floods/drought) and bonded labour | The usurious Lala Sukhiram and compound interest |
| Contemporary 21st Century | Chemical fertilisers, seed costs, deceptive MSP (Minimum Support Price), and corporate contracts | Mandi (wholesale agricultural market) brokers, bank attachments of property, and iron spikes and barricades at the borders of Delhi |
The Bitter Truth from the Book: N. Singh’s Poignant Insight
Author N. Singh writes in Chapter 2 of his book ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaanv’:
“Literature and cinema are not mere entertainment; they are a mirror to society’s suppressed tears. When Shambhu in Bimal Roy’s ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ vomits blood while pulling a rickshaw on the streets of Calcutta to save his two bighas of land, it is not merely a scene from a film; it is that wheel rolling over the chest of every Indian peasant which our modern system continues to turn even today. Premchand’s Godan was written 90 years ago, but even today, when a farmer in Vidarbha or Bundelkhand hangs himself over a debt of fifty thousand rupees, I feel that Hori has not died even now—he dies amongst us every single day! The day society stops viewing the tears written in literature as mere ‘stories’ and begins to recognise them as a ‘warning to the system’, that very day the Indian peasant will be truly free!”
— N. Singh (Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaanv, pp. 18–19)
Bridges Between Art and Reality: Four Messages for Society
- Restoring the Human Dignity of the Annadata (Food Provider): The peasant must not be treated as an object of pity or charity; he must be recognised as the most esteemed producer in the nation’s economy.
- Complete Freedom from the Institutional Debt-Trap: To protect farmers from the exploitation of moneylenders and the microfinance mafia, interest-free agricultural credit must be guaranteed.
- Mandatory Farmer Consent in Land Acquisition Laws: Multi-crop fertile land must not be acquired for any industry or highway without the consent of 80% of farmers and compensation at four times the market rate.
- Inclusion of Peasant Literature in Curricula: The novels and works of Premchand, Kedarnath Agarwal, and Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’ must be made compulsory reading in schools and colleges so that the new generation can connect with the fragrance and pain of its own soil.
A Question Worth Contemplating (The Message of the Book)
Will we continue reading Premchand’s ‘Godan’ and Bimal Roy’s ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ merely to pass examinations, or will we raise our voices to truly secure justice for that ill-fated Hori and Shambhu?
To understand the inner psyche of the peasant and his historic struggle through literature, poetry, and cinema, this second chapter of N. Singh’s acclaimed book ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaanv’ is an essential read for every sensitive lover of literature and every citizen.
Literature and cinema are not mere entertainment; they are a mirror to society's suppressed tears. When Shambhu in Bimal Roy's 'Do Bigha Zamin' vomits blood while pulling a rickshaw on the streets of Calcutta to save his two bighas of land, it is not merely a scene from a film; it is that wheel rolling over the chest of every Indian peasant which our modern system continues to turn even today.