Panch Parmeshwar

2.5 English –II

Submitted to-

Mr. Sopan Shinde, Assistant Professor of English.

Submitted by-

Aditya Swarup Singh

Academic Year: 2017-2018
UID:UG 2017-12 B.A L.L.B(Hons.)
Semester-II

MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR.

Table of contents

Abstract ……………………………………………………………………… 03
Introduction …………………………………………………………………. 04
What is the central message that Munshi Premchand wants to convey in God lives in the Panch
and how justice is above friendship? ………………………………………… 06

What moral lessons we get from God lives in the Panch? …………………… 07

What was the condition of women during that era? …………………..……… 08

Theme of Friendship and Communal Harmony …………………...….……… 08

2
Abstract

India is a country of beliefs, powers, friendship and humanity. Many writers have focused on
many critical issues of the contemporary Indian societies. One of the most celebrated writers of
that era is Munshi Premchand. Munshi Premchand is a renowned writer of modern Indian
literature. Most of his works reveal the life of villagers and their society. The story ‘Panch
Parmeshwar’ discusses the practice of the village court and its judgment. The verdict given by
the village court divided the friends as well as reunited them. The author makes them realize that
the truth is a triumph.

'Panch Parmeshwar' is set in a town and starts distinctively with Premchand at first acquainting
the peruser with the physical and also the enthusiastic backgrounds of the story. Jumman Sheikh
and Algu Chaudhary show a deep bond of friendship, which goes back to their childhood days.
The two belonging to different faiths shared nothing, not even food or religion. There was
nothing to bind them except their mental and emotional affinity. The omniscient storyteller
intercedes now to reveal to us that this obviously is the fundamental control of friendship. At that
point, he continues to depict how if Jumman needed to go to Haj he would endow Algu with the
duty of taking care of his home. Algu did likewise in the event that he must be away whenever.

There are many observations that can be made through this story. Premchand is writing of the
times when people’s faith in the Panchayat system was firm and they abided by its decision
whatever may be the case. In ‘Panch Parmeshwar’, Premchand gives us an insight into one other
aspect of India’s social reality. This has a bearing on the relations between the Hindu and
Muslim communities which existed side by side through most of the social fabric of India,
whether towns or villages. The focal theme of the story is ‘upholding justice ’. The entire story
shows the life of folks, their sufferings, their disputes, their faith in God, and their loyalty and
justice.

Panch Parmeshwar is also about the exploitation of the underdog and women, and the elders
become the most obvious representative. Cruelty of the human world is also seen in this story.
Cruelty directed by human beings to all those who are weak and underdogs. So basically, this
story tells about the true concept of justice along with the mixture of friendship between the two
communities and exploitation of weaker section of the society.

3
Introduction

Panch Parmeshwar is a work that goes beyond simplistic reading. It explores the indigenous,
village centric system of justice that caters to the needs of the illiterate and the poor in India. It
explores the concept of justice and the sanctity of the seat of justice, represented by the panchyat
– the indigenous, village centric system of justice that caters to the needs of the illiterate and the
poor in India who do not have any access to state sanctioned legal machinery.

In this story it has been reflected that justice is not revenge, it is for the greater social good,
based on the principles of goodwill and fair play in the Rawlsian sense; secondly, it presumes
that the voice of the panchayat is the voice of God, and the Panch are invested with a spark of
divinity when they occupy this exalted seat of power. Premchand’s story rises above the ordinary
because it shows that it is the seat of justice that instills the spark of divinity in human beings
who are not perfect and who are otherwise capable of cruelty, insensitivity and injustice in their
everyday life.

Panch Parmeshwar is also about the exploitation of the underdog, and women and the elderly
become the most obvious representatives of it. It is about property relations. A woman can be
persuaded to surrender her property and, then, is ill-treated by the beneficiaries, in a society,
which theoretically prescribes reverence to the elderly, and in actual practice, treats them as
unproductive and unnecessary burdens – this is the highlight of the story.

The story also tells about the cruelty which is done on both the human beings and animals. It is
about property relations. A woman can be persuaded to surrender her property and, then, is ill-
treated by the beneficiaries, in a society, which theoretically prescribes reverence to the elderly,
and in actual practice, treats them as unproductive and unnecessary burdens – this is the highlight
of the story.

The general bias against women in patriarchy forms its subtext: Jumman’s wife, Kariman, has
internalized the patriarchal ideology so completely that she joins forces with her husband against
Khala Jaan. The three women in the story, Kariman, Algu’s wife and Samjhu Sahu’s wife are
shrill and quarrelsome and they need to be tamed by their husbands.

4
‘Panch Parmeshwar’ is set in a village and begins quite characteristically with Premchand at first
introducing the reader to the physical as well as the emotional backdrops of the story. Jumman
Sheikh and Algu Chaudhary show a deep bond of friendship, which goes back to their childhood
days. The two belonging to different faiths shared nothing, not even food or religion. There was
nothing to bind them except their mental and emotional affinity. The omniscient narrator
intervenes at this point to tell us that this of course is the basic rule of friendship. Then he
proceeds to describe how if Jumman had to go to Haj he would entrust Algu with the
responsibility of looking after his house. Algu did the same if he had to be away anytime.

In this story Premchandra is able to create the atmosphere of an Indian village quite effortlessly
and equally effortlessly is he able to convey the importance of the alternative system of justice
and governance that we see in operation here. Yet there is more to it than just a description of
how a village Panchayat solved the cases of Jumman and Algu.

Premchand gives us an insight into one other aspect of India’s social reality. This has a bearing
on the relations between the Hindu and Muslim communities which existed side by side through
most of the social fabric of India, whether towns or villages. By showing a strong bond of
friendship between a Hindu and a Muslim who share nothing except like-mindedness, mental
and emotional affinities, Premchand is hinting at the vast possibilities that exist for such
friendships to occur despite the many religious, cultural and social barriers between the two
communities. What Premchand seems to be saying is that Peace is a joint responsibility of both
groups. However, it is a well known fact that the two communities did exist in complete
harmony, side by side but once again there were forces that threatened this peaceful coexistence
from all sides. Misunderstanding can be one big hurdle. The same is removed in the story though
in a highly sentimentalized manner. Yet the need for a mutual understanding is what Premchand
seems to be stressing on towards the end of the story.

5
What is the central message that Munshi Premchand wants to convey in God lives in the
Panch and how justice is above friendship?

Munshi Premchand lived in an era when the society was mired in poverty, illiteracy, superstition,
and caste conflicts. No wonder, petty quarrels, conflicts, and greed bedeviled rural life. Munshiji
waged a war on all these evils not by guns, but through his pen. He was a keen watcher of the
social scene. He was pained to see the evils, but was also elated to notice the practices and
institutions of justice and fair play still standing in his village. Panch, the village- level
adjudicating body was one such system. It was simple, free, fair, quick, democratic, and open to
all.

The way Jumman, seated in the Panch’s chair, rose to the occasion and gave a fair verdict in
favour of his estranged friend Alagu shows how villagers valued the system of Panch, and tried
to preserve its sanctity. At the hour of reckoning, Jumman cast his enmity aside and listened to
the call of conscience, so that the reputation of the Panch remained intact.

Through this story, Munshiji has a given a moral message that has more relevance today than it
had during his days. Nepotism, greed, corruption, and vendetta blight us and our institutions
today. The panacea for these evils lies in this eternal story, “God Lives in the Panch.”

In this story Premchand shows a very strong sense of conscience prevailing upon the whole
proceeding and Algu pronounces his decision in favour of the aunt, ordering Jumman to return
her lands. Jumman is stunned! For him it is almost as though his friend had stabbed him in the
back. But Premchand is writing of the times when people’s faith in the Panchayat system was
firm and they abided by its decision whatever may be the case. So Jumman neither opposes the
decision nor poses any hurdle in the smooth carrying out of the sentence though from that day
onwards the bond between the two friends ceases to exist. They behave as strangers with
Jumman believing that Algu had proved to be treacherous while Algu believed he had merely
performed his duty. Premchand uses an appropriate simile to describe the relationship between
the two friends when he compares their meeting to the meeting of a sword and a shield
emphasizing on the coldness associated with steel.

So, this story clearly shows that justice is not revenge and it is for the greater social good, based
on the principles of goodwill and fair play and secondly, it presumes that the voice of the

6
panchayat is the voice of God, and the Panch are invested with a spark of divinity when they
occupy this exalted seat of power. Premchand’s story rises above the ordinary because it shows
that it is the seat of justice that instills the spark of divinity in human beings who are not perfect
and who are otherwise capable of cruelty, insensitivity and injustice in their everyday life. The
point that Premchand is making is, that ordinary human beings can rise above their pettiness
when they are invested with authority and responsibility.

What moral lessons we get from God lives in the Panch?

As Gandhi said, ‘India lives in its villages’. Most of us either live in villages or have our roots
there one way or the other. So, any story based in rural India has such power to touch our mind
so easily.

Munshi Premchand wrote ‘Panch Parmeshwar’ almost a century ago, but one sees the same
goodness and evil of human character even today. Little has changed although rural India has
seen such dramatic transformation in the last three or four decades.

Greed and disregard for moral principles as seen in the characters of Jumman and Samjhu are
evils among villagers that we see in no small measure even today. These human failings
besmirch the rural landscape.

In the same vein, the regard for ethical values, call for duty and respect for time-honoured
institutions like the Panch as seen in Alagu, and later in Jumman are so very commendable.
These values practiced by the main protagonists of the story impart great charm and appeal to
village life. The institution of Panch dispenses justice fast and with little expense. It is fair to one
and all, irrespective of the clout and wealth of the complainant and the defendant. With no
lawyers, no fees, no lies, and no adjournments, this simple system has stood the test of time.

There are many lessons to be learnt and imbibe from this masterpiece of Munishiji. Honour your
commitments, eschew greed, avoid impulses of expediency, and listen to the call of your
conscience. These are the lofty moral lessons, this short story preaches.

7
What was the condition of women during that era?

The condition of women was not good in that era. Panch Parmeshwar is about the exploitation of the
underdog, and women and the elderly become the most obvious representatives of it. It is about
property relations. A woman can be persuaded to surrender her property and, then, is ill-treated
by the beneficiaries, in a society, which theoretically prescribes reverence to the elderly, and in
actual practice, treats them as unproductive and unnecessary burdens – this is the highlight of the
story.

In this story, Premchandra has also focuses on the cruelty on human beings as well as
animals. Samjhu Sahu the typical village merchant comes as a prospective buyer as he needs the
ox to ferry his merchandise to and fro between the farm and the village. Promising to pay the
money in a month’s time he takes the ox away. In that one month Samjhu Sahu extracts the
maximum amount of work from the ox in addition to not feeding him properly and also not
giving him any opportunity to rest and beating him cruelly according to his whim and fancies.
The ox finally gives up and one evening on a return journey from the town market he collapses
on the road. The old aunt is a determined soul and she persists in going from one person to the
other, inviting them to the Panchayat and to see that justice is done. In the end she reaches the
house of Algu Chaudhary. Because of his friendship with Jumman, Algu wants to stay away
from the whole affair. The aunt, however, very cleverly appeals to his conscience and his sense
of justice and challenges him by asking ‘Will your turn your back to justice for fear of ruining
your friendship.’ This is the key sentence of the whole story.

Theme of Friendship and Communal Harmony

In ‘Panch Parmeshwar’, Premchand gives us an insight into one other aspect of India’s social reality. This
has a bearing on the relations between the Hindu and Muslim communities which existed side by side
through most of the social fabric of India, whether towns or villages. By showing a strong bond of
friendship between a Hindu and a Muslim who share nothing except like-mindedness, mental and
emotional affinities, Premchand is hinting at the vast possibilities that exist for such friendships to occur
despite the many religious, cultural and social barriers between the two communities. What Premchand
seems to be saying is that Peace is a joint responsibility of both groups. However, it is a well known fact

8
that the two communities did exist in complete harmony, side by side but once again there were
forces that threatened this peaceful coexistence from all sides. Misunderstanding can be one big
hurdle. The same is removed in the story though in a highly sentimentalized manner. Yet the
need for a mutual understanding is what Premchand seems to be stressing on towards the end of
the story.