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administrative officer in the village—the Patel—results in
the good or otherwise of the people. We found that the
administration of the village prior to 1914 was inefficient
because the Patel—a member of the Kaliparaj—was a
toper and lay stupefied for days under the date trees in
his field. Some of the Kaliparaj themselves gave
us to understand that he frequently harassed them
by demanding hens or goats to make a feast.
The village school-master informed us that in 1913,
when he was transferred to this place, the village was in a
state of chaos and no one dared to enter it after sun-set
lest he be robbed of his possessions, (ii) As the adminis-
trative head was inefficient there was none to curb the ra-
pacity of the money-lenders who numbered more than
fifteen at this time. They wielded great influence, as the
Patel himself was heavily indebted to one of them, and
usually sided with them in the settlement of disputes,
(iii) Many Kaliparaj families indulged in excessive drink
in imitation of the Patel, who belonged to their communi-
ty. There was none to check these people nor to lead them
aright. The interest of the money-lenders lay in encour-
aging this habit of drink with a view to domineer over
them. Far from making any attempt to reform them, the
sowkars vied with one another in giving large credit to
the Kaliparaj. The result was that on the eve of the sec-
ond period 1914-17 the autocratic power of the sowkars
was as great, as the poverty and indebtedness of the peo-
ple, were apalling.
The second period began with the Patelship of Mr.
Manibhai, who still holds the position. He exchanged
his promising appointment in the B.B.& C.L Railway,
for the headmanship of this village, with the avowed ob-
ject of trying his best to uplift the masses from the burden
of debt. This was certainly a task beset with numerous
difficulties. In spite of the opposition of vested interests
and the lack of ready response from the people, he carried
on patiently his work of reform during this period. He
frequently visited the cottages of the Kaliparaj and