Kalyanpur village
1.Shambhu Mallah (Father)
Age 50-55 years. He is a mallah
(kahaar) by Caste a low caste simple villager. Apart for rowing boats
for centuries,his family also toiled the land of the landlords in this
village as Bandhuvaa mazdoor. Its only after the revolution of
seventies Jai Prakash movement that they got the same land allotted in
their name and became the owner of the same fields they toiled in.
Since then Shambhu has taken immense pride in his fields his "maati"
& has always wanted both his sons to work with him in the fields.
He is a God fearing simple villager with a great sense of justice owing
to his roots and the traditional wisdom he carries in him however he
does not have the rebellious streak in him unlike his two sons &
believes that age old customs and traditions should not be tampered
with.
2.Ramdei ( mother)
Age 45-50 years. Ramdei is a simple woman who
has always stood by her husband though thick & thin. A hard working
woman who till date does not shy away from physical labour,holds the
family reins in her hand.Even though she has seen ups & downs on
life, she is still impressionable and "kaan ki kachchi" mother in law
who Laachi knows how to manipulate. She dotes on her sons, specially
the younger Sarju and picks up fights with any one who complaints
against Sarju. However like Yashoda she also sometimes gets influenced
and punishes him hard for his faults only to repent and feel guilty
about it later. She is quiet a bholi bhaaali mother impressionable and
affable. However she is under the influence of her Guru jee the village
priest who runs the temple of the village and believes in consulting
with him before any occasion or any major decision.
3.Kesoo (elder brother)
Age 24-25 years. Young, energetic, hard
working & enthusiastic are the words that describe Kesoo's spirit.
He is the eldest in the family and hence is most responsible among the
siblings. Shambhu depends largely on him as he takes care of the fields
along with his father. Even though he has this slight rebellious streak
in him to raise his voice against injustice but he is a more balanced a
person and hence does not take the extreme route ever. Kesoo
understands Sarju's need to be free spirited and lets him be as he does
not want his brother to lose out on these fun years & he is
willingly ready to shoulder responsibilities till as time Sarju becomes
mature enough to share them with him. He loves his family and his wife
Laachi who sometimes tests his patience with her usual complaining
nature. Its been three years to his marriage and the couple has still
not been able to have a child because of which there is a certain
pressure on him.
4.Laachi (sister in law)
Age 21-22 years. The pretty but bitter
wife of Kesoo, laachi is a woman carrying any contradictions in her. On
one hand she can be sarcastic and meanjust the next moment she can also
melt and can become most affectionate and caring. As the story
progresses, we realize that these are her attention cravings that make
her so unpredictable. Unable to bear a child for the family in the
three years of marital life, she fears losing her importance in the
family and hence keeps creating a ruckus.She has an amazing bitter
sweet relation with Sarju. She cribs about him but also takes care of
him like a brother both being the same age, she relates the most with
him but also is envious of his free spirit and boisterousness which she
secretly wishes to see in her husband.There is a thin psychological
line that separates her attraction towards Sarju from any sexuality
towards him he is a challenge that she wants to win as if by breaking
his spirits, she will be able to take revenge for her husband who has
lost the youthful boisterousness because of the work pressures. Also
the sister in law Jamuna reminds her of her own carefree days in her
paternal home an age she has crossed and a freedom she has lost to the
marital obligations hence she also harbors a little jealousy towards
Jamuna and is sometimes unreasonably bitter to her.
5.Sarju
Age 21-22 years of age. Sarju is the protagonist of the
show. He is simple, impressionable, cute, mischievous, almost
childlike, and above all spirited. Youthful and attractive, he is able
to get attention from men and women alike in any gathering he goes to
and somewhere understands that the women give him attention. However
the village bellies have a different way of displaying their attraction
towards him they fight and crib about him deliberately tease him only
to pick fights with him and at all such times,Sarju being the simpleton
take the fights a little too seriously & feels that he does not
understand women (with the exception of his mother of course). He is
slightly flirtatious and is quiet popular in the village.
6.Jamuna
18-19 years of Age. Jamuna,the younger sister of Sarju
is an affable girl likes to believe that life has the best things in
store for her. Though not very pretty, she is the most pampered in the
house by her two brothers (Since she is the only sister). This
pampering & attention has also made her a little obstinate and
selfish. She adores both Kesoo & sarju but relates more to sarju
and is often a part of his pranks. She was married to Eesar at a young
age and is waiting patiently for the Gauna to happen. She also fears
somewhere in her heart that Eesar may take a fancy to some shehar ki
chori since he works in a factory in a city however there is a certain
amount of denial in her as well. A complex and complicated character
when Eesar loses his arm in the machines in the factory, her dreams
come crashing down and her inferiority complexes start to take
prominence as she often compares herself to Radha whose good fate she
despises.
7.Kalua
Age 21-22 years. Kalua is the childhood friend of Sarju
& both have explored life together. Together they have learnt to
swim in the river, have played pranks on unsuspecting villagers and had
a good laugh about it later,together they have explored adolescence and
even women. They share each & every detail of their lives with one
another & are inseparable. However Kalua is not as lucky as sarju
and his family life is not able to provide him a security blanket.His
mother affectionately called Sakuni maasi has seen enough problems in
life his father Kesoo (keshav) had married twice and has another
daughter from his second wife called Imli. Now that Kesoo has lost his
mobility (he is bed ridden & paralysed) and his second wife is no
more, Sakuni is burdened with bringing up Imli as well.Kalua however
feels that if he goes to Mumbai he will be able to fulfill his duties
towards his mother and sister but Sakuni fears that Kalua may run off
to a city and forget her and his duties. No amount of explanations and
reassurances have been able to put Sakuni's mind at ease & each
time kalua talks about going to Mumbai,she creates a ruckus. Kalua
knows, he will have to run away one day to a distant land only then
will he be able to earn well enough to get Imli married and take care
of his ageing parents.
8.Sakuni maasi
She is Kalua's Dadi who works in fields and houses of other villagers to survive.
9.Budhai
Age 55-60 years. Budhai was an epitome of hard work and
a symbol of prosperity when he got married for the first time.He had
many acres of fertile land and they were a happy and prosperous happy
farmer family. However it all changed once a new female came into
Budhai's life. He fell in love with her,the daughter of a carpet
weaver, hopelessly & became desperate. Since his initial attempts
to get close to her were snubbed by her father, he took to gambling and
drinking. Later even when he married the second female, he could not
kick the habit of drinking and gambling. Initially, there was a little
resistance and hatred between his two wives but they soon realized they
were fighting a common enemy Budhai's addiction towards drinking and
gambling.
It brought about the family doom and his second wife passed away in an accident whereas Budhai got paralyzed.
Today Budhai repents his deeds and feels sorry about himself. However
he feels helpless and frustrated as he can not even lift a limb. In all
these depressing times,he also becomes vulnerable to drinking &
gambling all the more .
10.Imli
The pretty daughter of Budhai's second wife, Imli is
still unmarried (even when most of the girls her age, are awaiting
their gauna) it is because of the rumours about her mother being of
dubious character that no one is willing to accept her as a bahu. Imli
is a rather difficult person herself having heard ill about her Sakuni
dadi from all the villagand she should excel in the art of seduction.
Even though it hurts her in the bargain, even though she herself nurses
a secret desire to have a family a husband yet she starts to live up
to the image of her mother & soon gets infamous in the small
village. She tries her seduction on Sarju as well only to be shirked
away & humiliated she starts to keep a grudge against Radha (her
character is grey & its only when Radha makes her meet her inner
self & Imli herself gets astonished that the little innocent girl
is still alive in her, will she be able to accept love in her life)
11.Heeraman
Shambhus younger brother & rival. When the land
was being allotted to Heeraman & Shambhu's father, he divided his
land into two parts & ended up giving the more fertile & better
placed field to Shambhu. Heeraman, the short tempered brother could not
tolerate this & had a fight with shambhu the two brothers got their
choolha separated. Now they live in heir separate houses. Heeraman has
not been able to forgive his father for this favouristism and leaves no
stone unturned to show Shambhu down. It's a tug of war between the
brothers that is very famous in the village.
Despite all the
"dushmani' Heeraman is extremely fond of Sarju, Bansi & Jamuna whom
he has literally brought up in his lap & sometimes,in those moments
of solitary sadness he expresses that he misses them even through he
hates his brother & his guts.
12.Bisnu & Gopal
Heeraman's sons… their characters need to be discussed.
13. Babban Hajjam
The only barber shared in the three –four
villages. A very busy man & important also since he is a gossip
monger. He gets attention by all AND carries news from one to other
Lala
(the sahukar) uses him as a mohra & it's through him he keeps an
eye on the pulse of the village & what is happening around. A
slightly comic character.
14.Lala
Lala is the wealthiest & cleverest person in the
village. His honey-laced words & sympathetic gestures are not to be
taken at face value. He is a real smart guy who knows how to fool the
poor farmers into buying grains at peanut rates & sell them at the
market at exorbitant rates.
He has also taken over as the mukhiya
of panchayat & runs the sehkaari samiti thereby closing all the
doors for the farmers to become independent sellers at he mandi.He is
the broker who has gotten richer & richer by each year.
People
often say after zamindari has vanished, we are faced with new zamindari
that of the lalas who break the backs of the farmers.
Lala also
gives money on loan to needy farmers but his interest rates are so high
that he often takes over the land from the unsuspecting farmers.
Kesoo's lands were confiscated in the same manner. Now, lala's hawk
eyes are at Shambhu's fields since they are the most fertile.
15.Daak Baabu
The only literate man in this village. He is an
amiable man who knows everything about every house (since he reads and
drafts the letters for them) has a sympathetic attitude towards the
families.
Later when Sarju will go to town, Daadk baabu will be the only one to know about Radha's pining for him.
Champapur Village
1.Gangaram: (radha's father)
(Age – 45-50 years) A simple
villager Ganagaraam is a mallah by caste but now days survives on his
craft of weaving chairs & charpoys. His earnings are not huge but
enough to support his small family. He totally dotes on his only
daughter Radha & feels she is the Laxmi & when she will go to
her sasural, she will bring prosperity to them.
2.Bhagwati (radha's mother)
(Age—40 45 years) A beautiful &
happy go lucky woman, bhagwati has had it easier in life since her
husband was always responsible & took good care of the family. She
shares a good relationship with her husband & there is a lot of
love & understanding between the husband wife. However she is a
little worried about her daughter Radha & her Gauna! She takes
complete objection to Radha's tomboyish attitude & despises it when
Ganagaraam supports & encourages his daughter. She feels the father
is spoiling the daughter & she will have to face the wrath of her
saas & nanad if she remains the way she is.
3.Radha (protagonist)
Age- 18-19 years… pretty. Dusky, doe eyes,
Slim, agile & a bundle of energy… Radha epitomizes & celebrates
womanhood in its various shades. Though she is nineteen years now, she
has a certain naivete about her, that along with her daredevil
attitude, makes her very attractive.
Simple & sensitive, with
zeal to live life to fullest, Radha can give Sarju serious competition.
They are a match made for each other even though both are unaware of it
as yet. Although she will remain submissive to her husband in front of
elders, in the private moments, she is the boss & Sarju's high
ended attitude will also have to one day subjugate to her enchanting
personality.
Other characters
4.Daadi
Old & blind…easily
manipulated,has submitted to god & awaits her death waiting only
for her grand daughter's Gauna. She has no other desire left in her but
to visit Kaashi & take a holy dip in Ganges river.
5.Maali Dadda
Keeper
of the guava orchard, nice but strict & honest for he will not let
a single guava go missing from his master's orchard.
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