Munshi Premchand’s Godan (1936): Law, Justice, and Social Reform

Munshi Premchand’s Godan (1936) is not just a famous novel—it is a mirror showing the real problems of farmers in colonial India. Through the sad story of Hori Mahato, a poor farmer whose dream of owning a cow ends in debt and death, Premchand shows how unfair systems controlled the lives of the poor. These same problems later helped inspire India’s new laws after independence—laws about land, labor, caste, and justice. This article looks at how Godan predicted the need for those reforms and why it still matters today for students of law and social change.

Hori – The Main Character in Godan

Hori is the main character in Munshi Premchand’s novel Godan. He is a poor farmer who represents honesty, hard work, and simplicity. Hori’s life shows the struggles of ordinary farmers in Indian villages — people who work all their lives for their land, family, and dignity.

His biggest dream is to buy a cow, which for him is a symbol of happiness, respect, and faith. But poverty, debt, and social injustice never let him live in peace. Even though he works hard, he is trapped in problems of caste, money, and unfair treatment.

Hori’s life is a kind of silent protest — the story of a man who suffers under both law and society but still stays honest and good. His struggle reminds us that justice and respect should belong to everyone, no matter how poor they are.

In the end, Hori’s death is not just the death of one farmer — it is a question to society itself: why can’t a hardworking person live with dignity?
Thus, Hori becomes a symbol of humanity, sacrifice, and the search for justice.

1. Land Ownership and the Zamindari System

Hori’s life is shaped by the Zamindari system, where landlords like Rai Sahib extract rent, fines, and unpaid labor from tenants. Hori owns no secure title to his land and is forced to borrow money to survive.

Legal Response:

• U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950
• Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950

These laws abolished intermediary landlords and gave ownership rights to cultivators. They aimed to dismantle feudal control and empower farmers like Hori—but decades too late for him.

2. Debt, Tenancy, and Farmer Exploitation

Hori keeps getting deeper and deeper in debt. He borrows money for things like buying a cow, paying fines, and holding important events. But these loans just trap him. He becomes controlled by moneylenders and the powerful people in the village. He works very hard but doesn’t get paid for it. The crops he grows are sold for too little money, and he loses all his self-respect.

Laws Made to Help:

• The Bengal Agricultural Debtors Act, 1935
• Provincial Debt Relief Acts
• Tenancy Acts in various states

These laws were made to set limits on how much interest lenders could charge. They also tried to stop farmers from being kicked off their land and to protect tenants from unfair treatment. The book Godan highlights just how desperately these protections were needed. Godan dramatizes the urgency of such protections, showing how informal contracts and caste-based coercion override legal safeguards.

3. Caste Discrimination and Social Boycott

When Hori’s son Gobar elopes with Jhunia, a woman from a lower caste, the village imposes fines and ostracizes the family. Hori and his wife Dhaniya defy caste norms by sheltering Jhunia, but suffer economic and social punishment.

Legal Response:

• Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989

These laws criminalized caste-based discrimination, untouchability, and social boycott. Premchand’s portrayal of Jhunia’s humiliation and Dhaniya’s courage strongly suggested that official laws were necessary to recognize everyone’s basic human dignity and guarantee equality in India.

4. Bonded Labor and Minimum Wages

Hori worked so hard that it ultimately led to his death. He spent his life labouring for powerful people—landowners, religious leaders, and those he owed money to—without ever receiving proper payment. His death is not just personal tragedy; it is a legal indictment of systemic exploitation.

Legal Response:

• Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
• Minimum Wages Act, 1948

These laws aimed to end forced labour and ensure fair wages. Godan shows how poverty, debt, and social pressure create conditions of slavery long before the law officially banned the practice.

5. Panchayat Justice vs. Rule of Law

Throughout Godan, village panchayats impose fines, enforce caste norms, and settle disputes without due process. Hori is fined for sheltering Jhunia, for his brother’s crime, and for rituals he cannot afford.

Legal Reflection:

• The novel raises questions about legal pluralism—the coexistence of formal law and customary justice.
• It highlights the tension between constitutional rights and informal sanctions, especially in rural India.

While panchayats were later formalized under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1992), Godan warns against unchecked local power that violates individual rights.

6. Colonial Law and Penal Codes

Several events in Godan—the poisoning of the cow, caste violence, and domestic conflict—could be analysed under colonial laws like:

• Indian Penal Code, 1860 (e.g., Sections 428 for killing animals, 506 for criminal intimidation), which has now been replaced by Sections 325 and 351 respectively of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).
• Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (for debt recovery)
• Indian Contract Act, 1872 (for informal agreements)

Yet, these laws remain distant from Hori’s reality. He lives in a world where custom overrides codified law, and justice is mediated by caste, class, and ritual.

7. Legal Philosophy and Reform

The novel Godan is far more than a simple story; it is a serious attack on our laws and morals.

Questions Raised by Godan:

• How can the law be fair to people who are poor?
• If people lack money and security, is the law truly able to protect their self-respect?
• How do rigid traditions, like the caste system, corrupt people’s ideas about what is right and legal?

Premchand’s answer is clear: law must be rooted in empathy, equity, and lived experience. Hori’s death is not just symbolic—it is a call for reform.

Conclusion – Literature as Legal Witness

Godan is a profoundly impactful Indian text, not because of any direct legal references, but for its vivid portrayal of why laws are necessary. It shows how poverty, social hierarchy, and injustice together prevent people from accessing real justice. Many of the laws that were later enacted—covering land, labor, social status, and dignity—were inspired by Hori’s silent struggle. Reading Godan today prompts us to ask whether our current laws genuinely serve those in India who face similar hardships. If they do not, we must find ways to ensure that justice is experienced by everyone, not just discussed as an abstract idea.