Sahityasetu
ISSN:2249-2372

Introduction

Laxman Gaikwad, along with writing, has been continuously doing work for the betterment of the downtrodden.He has been awarded with the awards like: Sahitya Akademi Award, Sahitya Ratna Anna Bhau Sathe Puraskar, SAARC Literary Award, Gunther Sontheimer Memorial Award and Maharastra Gourav Puraskar.

Along with his autobiography The Branded (Uchalya), he has several books to his credit as an author. Some of them are Dubang, Chini Mathachi Divas, Samaj Sahitya Ani Swathantra, Wadar Vedna, Vakila Pardhi, Utav and A Swathantra Konasat.

The Branded (Uchalya) is written by Laxman Gaikawad reveals the social, economic, political and cultural situation of his community. ‘Uchalya’ community has been ignored by the society since thousands of years. In 1871, the first Criminal Tribes’ Act was passed; since then it had been notified as a criminal community. The Indian constitution prohibits this kind of social discrimination but till the date has been observed in the society. Even today, the tribes like ‘Uchlya’ are struggling to get some respectful position in the society. Mostly all of them are itinerants and they are in constant search of odd jobs such as stone cutting, harvesting, cattle tending, etc. Uchalya is recognized as ‘Santmuchchar’ community all over India. The term ‘Santmuchchar’ is defined by the writer s- Sant means ‘market’ and muchchar means ‘thief”. This community is also known by some other names like, Bhamta, Pathrut, Takari, Girnewadkar, Ghantichor, Wadar, and Kamati.

The Branded expresses the pain of the community which is treated marginalized for ages together. Laxman has described how the new member of the stealing gang is trained. It also shows the brutality of the police that do not spare even women and children. Laxman’s personal experiences are heart wrenching. He has quoted how he and his family had to live without food for days and how his father managed to feed the family members. The Branded describes the difficulties and traumas faced by Laxman. It depicts how Laxman has grew as a leader of the community, his initial struggle in the cotton mill, his suspension from the mill, his struggle to make both ends meet and his political activities, agitations, political demonstrations and his worries and actions for his fellow persons.

While asking for the left over, the writer compares their lives with that of dogs. As dogs would bark and yowl, the people from his community beg for the leftover. Someone would say, ‘Oh there, throw these Pathruts some food.’ (Gaikawad 46). If they are given leftover on the partravali (leaves plate), the children would eat it sitting anywhere. Sometimes the people push them away with stick.

Laxman’s earnings were insufficient to run the house having five members in the family. His father realized the economic status of Laxman. So, he decided to return to Dhanegaon, he says to Laxman: ‘…First you arrange your family life, make for yourself a decent living. Pay back your loans. I shall return to your eventually. Nobody is prepared to look Harchanda. So you look after him.’ (Gaikawad 17). Laxman feels very bad as he is not able to feed his father who is old enough. Harchanda, his brother, was suffering from fit and therefore he was not able to get regular job. In fact, Laxman was fatigued of his measly earning so, Harchanda was a soft target of his annoyance. Once, he got too much angry and shouted to Harchanda, ‘Don’t beg and live here. Go somewhere and die… Let me not see you in Latur tomorrow. Otherwise I’ll hand you over to the police. The police already have your name in their list of thieves.’ (Gaikawad 145). Harchanda could not bear the beatings and insulting of Laxman, he left the house permanently. Then after, Laxman searched him at many places but could not find him and loss his brother forever.

The Uchlyas live in a group therefore, they are deeply interwoven with one another. Their main job is stealing and they are expert in their profession. The young boys and girls are trained with the intolerable physical torturing. The motif behind it is if somebody is caught, s/he should not disclose the name of the group even s/he gets severe torturing by people or police. Manikdada was selected in the group of the writer’s brothers-in-law Santaram and Sakaharam. And he was to be trained the skills and arts of the profession. The members of the group beat severely to make him able to tolerate the beating of the police and people. Once, Manikdada was caught red handed at Ranapur market while attempting to pilfer. He was beaten harshly that he disclosed the name of his group members. But the group members crept away and escaped. When Manikdada came back from the police custody, he explained to the gang, ‘I was beaten almost to death’. (Gaikawad 6). The group was so annoyed that he had disclosed the names. Next day, they took Manikdada to the river for fishing. It was a hot and scorching mid-day sun. Santaram and Tukaram said in anger,
Manikya, you bustard, f…k your mother, you cower in fear like vannis and bammans (merchants and Brahmins). When caught red-handed you disclose the names of the entire gang! You have brought shame upon and besmirched the name of the tribe of thieves.

Saybu Tata, the maternal grandfather of Laxman, was a regular hunter. He used to hunt fish, Rabbits, crabs, deer, wild cats, foxes, rats, mongoose, tortoise, etc. Tata hunted animals very easily. So, the family had meat in their meals. He had a plethora of rats in the hut. The rats would nibble and cut the ears of wheat and store them in the holes. After harvesting the field, Tata and the writer would dig the holes and collect the ears of wheat.

To rob somebody at the bus station, the gang men gather near the door of the bus. They create uproar by blocking the door of the bus. In such a commotion, a member cuts the pocket and disappears. Whenever they do not get anything to eat for couple of days, they stalk any animal. Namdeo, Tukaram, and Dada would go to the river pretending as if they are fishing. In fact, they would gawk at the lamb grazing by the river side and pick up one of them. Once, Dada held a sturdy lamb and stuck its tongue with a thorn to stop moaning. He took it down-stream and threw into the river. Dada returned home at night with the dead lamb and shared out the pieces.

The people in Uchlya tribe are so skilled in pick-pocketing that the man who is robbed would not realize that he is looted. Sopan and his fourth wife Yellava are expert and dexterous in the profession of stealing and deceiving. Sopan would put on a silk turban and golden rings on his fingers. Yellava robbed mangalsutra, necklace, and other trinkets very tactfully with her teeth. In each thieving trips they were collecting more than 50 gm gold. They used come to Laxman’s hut with the bundles of saris, chaddars, blouses, dhotis, etc. to sell it in among the tribe and the villagers.

Manikdada, Bhau, Sambha, Bhagwan, Anna used to attend the Tuljapur fair with the purpose of looting. Before leaving home for looting, they would offer a cock to family goddess Tulja Bhavani. The ears of wheat, jowar, bajara, chilies groundnuts were being stolen by the gang at deadly hours of night. The farmers, who were there to guard the crops, were misguided by the sound of foxes and owls emulated by Tulshiram. Once, the farmers saw them picking the ears of wheat, they shouted at the gang. All of them dispersed but Dada remained busy in plucking the ears, the farmers threw stone, one of it dashed to his head that made a severe wound. His clothes were filthy with blood. To eradicate the evidence, the clothes were washed in the same night. There are many occasions when these people had to risk their lives.

Pandharpur fair was like big festival Diwali for the gangs of Uchlya as it provides big opportunity of thieving. The announcement for caution in the fair regarding a large number of robbers have entered the fair, makes the robbers fidgety because the people become aware and everybody strictly keeps watch over their property. Santaram from Jawali was a skilled thief. He applied vermilion and sandalwood paste to his forehead and recited a religious hymn beating cymbals. Other members of the gang too joined him. Tata sensed that the by stander had money at the waist line of dhoti. He skilfully cut the knot of the dhoti with a ‘Bharat’ blade. After his signal, Santaram stopped the Kirtan and all the members scattered from the place and gathered at a pre-decided place. Unfortunately, all the notes are cut and it included some private hairs of the person.

Once, they had nothing to eat. They saw a woman sitting near a hearth made of stones and boiling rice in a large vessel. Santaram and Sakharam of Zadgaon betted to take away the vessel. Santaram worked out a plan for stealing the vessel. A member of the gang drew near the woman and pretended as he was a drunkard and sat in front of her to urinate. The lady used bad words and turned her face. Immediately, Santaram lifted the vessel off from the hearth with the help of his dhoti and ran away.

Once Hanmanta Wadar brought water from the public well, the Marathas from Shindewadi attacked on the whole Wadar community. They killed Hunmanta and threw his dead body on the dunghill. They threatened the community not to inform the police. Pawer Wadar contacted Laxman and explained the whole story. Laxman registered a complaint at Usmanabad. The police arrested the attackers but were released on bail soon. In the same way, a Pardhi family of Moha in Kalamab Talamb Tahsil, Dist. Usmanabad, was attacked severely by the landlords. And for the first time, the police Patil and Sarpanch were arrested in this case. But the villagers gathered fund to defense them and they were released on bail. Laxman observed a new trick ‘Takmudya’ to pester the tribals. ‘Takmudya’ is a brutal practice in which the police take the help of a landlord. The stolen articles are put in the house of Pradhi then he is arrested. In many cases, the tribals even show them the receipts of the purchased articles but the police tearing it make charges of stealing. Even the girls were trapped from Shindewadi in false cases using ‘Takmudya’. Laxman notes, “… A Pardhi house has hardly more than three or four aluminium utensils. Even then he regarded as a notorious thief, but an officer who amasses crore of rupees in underhand and corrupt dealings is treated with dignity and respect. He owns at least one bungalow in every city and town he is posted at.” (Gaikawad 185)

Laxman was removed from the mill, after the removal he faced severe economic crises. At the time, a girl child was born to him. His father was critically ill but he could not provide him proper medical treatment. The father lived for fortnight with Laxman and fortnight with his brother. But Laxman’s sister-in-law treated the father badly, she grumbled of his dinner and old age. Laxman’s wife she never treated the father badly, rather she was serving him food properly. Laxman thinks the father would have lived for some more days but like the mother, poverty swallowed the father too.

Laxman Gaikwad has been working continuously for the betterment of the Nomadic tribals. On the occasion of Maharashtra State’s golden jubilee celebration, Laxman organized a very huge congregation of the tribals in Mumbai. The Dy. C.M. Gopinath Munde, accepted the memorandum and announced there would be a separate department in the Ministry for the Denotified Tribes within a year. He established the department but that could be the first government department in the world that has not a single rupee fund allocated in the budget. Later on, the government formed a Vasantrao Naik Corporation (V.N.C.) like Mahatma Phule Corporation (M.P.C.) and Annabhau Sathe Corporation (A.S.C.) for SC, ST. But it never received the amount more than four to five crore rupees. On the other hand, M.P.C. and A.S.C. receive hundreds of corer rupees from the state and the central government.

Till the date, the nomads don’t get a place for the final rituals of the dead. Sometimes the corpse remains two days without its burial. He feels that the political parties, especially ‘Bharatiya Janta Party’ provokes the common people to build the temple of the Rama in Ayodhya but the itinerants having the names like Rama, Sita, Laxman, Hanuman, etc. are wandering homeless. Nobody bothers about their shelter or education. To protect the country from the invaders the nomadic fought against the Mughals, Britishers etc. So Laxman Gaikawad raises the very fundamental question, ‘Why these so called historiographers did not mention all these tribals are the offspring of the freedom fighters. (Gaikawad 107) The writer pays tributes by remembering Umaji Naik, a young tribal who took up arms against the British rule was sentenced to death in 1832 at Pune.

Laxman tells the story of Jadhav from the Takari tribe. Once, late former chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Vasantdada Patil was injured with bullets of British soldiers in his foot. Jadhav lifted Patil on his back and ran five km and took him away in to the jungle and removed the bullets. As a reward, he was given a license of a country liquor shop by Vasantdada. But nothing was done to give justice to his tribe through the constitution.

Ours is a male dominating society, so we have many examples in every caste and religion where women are given maltreatment. Laxman’s mother is badly beaten by the father for the trivial things. She is constantly doubted, whenever she comes late from her milk-selling business, Martand says, ‘You spend your time with your paramour! Saru is not my daughter.’ (Gaikawad 22). This kind of remarks is common for the women in Indian society.

Like Changuna, Ithi and her Muslim husband were also in the profession of thieving. Once, they could not steal anything and travelled to Pune from Alandi without tickets. They had no money therefore, they were wedged in a horrible situation. At last, she sold her one and half year old beautiful daughter for two hundred rupees only. Laxman ponders over the incident and thinks after such long time of independence, the people of the country has to sell their children. The plight of the community compels Laxman to feel nervous, he says- “Whenever I move through the people of my community and her such tales of woe, I become restless, my brain swims with giddying thoughts.” (Gaikawad 102) He believes only the literacy can bring some changes in their lives. So, in 1979, he registered the ‘Nomadic, Denotified Tribe’s educational Institution at Kawatha. He visited the education department to take permission to run school and hostel. As the organization was at Kawatha, the letters from the government were delivered there. The people thought Laxman was called on to take money from the office. He tried to convince them without the sanction of the government, the institution doesn’t get any monitory support. But the people abused him thinking that he misused the fund of the institution. Moreover, he came to know that without bribing thousands of rupees to the officers it is impossible to get the project sanctioned, he gave up the idea of starting a school for community.

It is said that the youths are the pillars of the nation. In any civil society, the schools are run to nurture the children and enhance them socially and culturally. The character of the children is built with the help of noble thoughts. But still in a country like India, still, among the tribals some schools of thieving are run to appease their hunger. There are teachers having expertise in stealing skills. The teachers are very strict. The trainees are beaten harshly. But no parents take any objection. Basically there are four kinds of thieving skills:

1. 1. Kistang matne-picking pockets.
2. 2. Chappal, muthal aanane- stealing footwear and bundles of things.
3. 3. Padu Ghalane- deception.
4. 4. Uthewari- deception by sleight of hand while engaging persons in conversion. (Gaikawad 10)

The trainers are paid six months’ earnings when the students are trained absolutely.

When Laxman’s relative’s marriage was to be performed at Salgara. As usual, all the distant relatives gathered there and were drunk, they warned,
We’ll see how this marriage takes place. The mother of the girl, who is to be married in Salgara, is trained. She had not yet got herself purified in our Panchayat. … The girl’s mother’s mother had lived with a Maratha. So the girl’s mother was born of a Maratha father. Even if she herself had married a person of our community, the earlier taint was not thereby washed away. (Gaikawad 119-20)

Laxman couldn’t interfere into the matter because his family could be of the fear of ostracized from the community. His father Martand was one of the members in the Panchayat panel. Another tension was that once the marriage gets cancelled, the bride has to remain single all over the life. After a long discussion the Panchayat came with the different proposals like- let the woman eat shit, some of them said let her be punished with two thousand rupees, others suggested to cut her nose; at last one of the members suggested the head of the bride’s mother should be shaved off. At the end her head was shaved. It was quite insulting for her, as she was the mother of the bride. She sat backside in the crowd covering her bald head with the one end of her sari and wept constantly.

Once, the Panchayat was called for Salubai, sister of Laxman’s wife, at Kawatha. Her husband betrayed her as he was already married. Salubai’s mother wanted divorce of her daughter so she paid Rs. 251 as customary fees of the Panchayat. While Salubai was living with her parents, she fell in love with Ravan and gave birth to a daughter from him. It was accepted that Ravan would marry her. But Ravan’s parents fixed his marriage with another girl. Therefore, Salubai approached the Panchayat and it was decided Ravan should marry Salubai. After several meetings and discussions, the writer’s father-in-law declared, “Brothers, look, Salubai is like a cow. She was sold once to one man and she remained tied to his rope for some time. Then, she escaped from that house and lived with another man, who was not her former owner” (Gaikawad 38). The Panchayat considered over this argument and unanimously declared that Ravan should immerse his nose in the urine of Salubai. Ravan did so and also paid the fine of Rs. 251 to the Panchayat.

Panchayat was the final authority to settle the disputes and its decision was honoured by ever one. The judgment given by ‘a master-kaka’, the first teacher of the community, was binding for both the parties. The accused bear the expenditure of Panchayat sessions. The members of the Panchayat were offered liquor, meat etc. The fine would be charged from rupees five hundred fifty to five thousands. If the accused proved to be deceitful in sharing of the robbed goods, he was sent for a year for thieving trips and till then he did not get any share of it as he had lost the faith of the profession.

Shankar lived with his daughter as her husband. The Panchayat at Kavatha ostracized Shankar and his daughter for years from the community and his moustache was shaved with the piss of his daughter. If anybody from the community dared to give shelter or meals to the ostracized person, that person too would be ostracized from the community. This gesture of the community reminds the writer as Patils and Deshmukhs behave with Mahars and Mangs.

In Pathrut Community, the husband or wife has liberty to amputate the marital bond whenever s/he wishes. S/he is bounded to refund the expenses of marriage in the presence of Panchayat. In case of any dispute, the decision of Panchayat remains obligatory for both the parties.

The nomadic tribes had to live under the pressure because the young girls of Laman Tanda (A group of Lamans, a nomadic tribe) were raped by the upper caste landlords at Murum, Taluka Umrup. Once, such a tyrant group of drunkard arrived and started harassing. Babu Rathod from Tenda challenged them. The aberrant became furious and came with many people and attacked on the guiltless children, young and old of Laman Tanda. Babu Rathod and his family members got serious injuries, his three years daughter died on the spot. The police purposely delayed in registering the case. And the demise of a small girl was shown as an accidental death. The Tandas refused the burial of the girl without post-mortem. So, the police took all of them to the police station. The corpse of the child was in the custody and the mother was forced to sit outside for twenty four hours.

In Umaraj, Dist. Satara, the upper caste Patils and Deshmukhs attacked the Takaris because they put the hording of their organization at the entrance of the village having the names like Jadhav and Gaikawad. The upper caste had also similar castes so they didn’t like it as their relatives would be confused by reading the names. The superiority complex of the upper caste doesn’t allow them relate themselves with the downtrodden.

It is said that experience is a great teacher. The circumstances build personality and the difficulties make him/her quite strong to fight against any kind of situation. Mostly, the common man is exploited in the private factors. At some places the workers are harshly treated and even beaten for tiny mistakes. This kind of situation has been prevailing for years but nobody dare to oppose such due to the fear of losing job.

Laxman comes in touch with Ramanna who had worked at many places. He said that he had worked at many places, but in no mill there was as much harassment as there in Latur. Laxman has some instincts of leadership right from his childhood. Ramanna told him, ‘If you’ll do such a thing, all workers will carry you over their heads and dance.’ (Gaikawad 224). Besides mill service his vegetable business was thriving therefore he had no fear of losing the job. He mustered up courage and sought the permission to deliver the speech on 1st May. He addressed the co-workers:
Our whole body functions because its different parts such as the arms, legs, stomach, head, to their allotted work. Similarly here there are workers in the mill and managers and bosses in the office. Even though their allotted functions are different, all of them together make the mill. We should all do our work and behave with this idea well entrenched in our minds, and help bring to reality the dream of Mahatma Gandhi. (Gaikawad 148).

He emphasized in his speech that the functioning of any institute of firm is like body. As all parts are crucial for the smooth functioning of the body, it so with firm also.

Once, Laxman Gaikwad visited China as a delegate in Indo-China festival, he remarked in his speech,
Dalit literature is a man oeuvre of the freedom of oppressed human beings. It has been influenced by the ideology of the Lord Buddha-Phule-Ambedkar Mao-tse-tung-Marx-Lenin. We Dalit writers are campaigning the human values like ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Justice’ at the large scale. Their poems and pangs are pregnant with the thoughts of striving against the inequality. The verse of a well known poet, Namdeo Dhasal represents the entreaty of Dalits. (Gaikawad China)

During the tour another member of the delegation and group leader, Ramakant Rath, a Brahmin took objection against the speeches of Laxman Gaikwad:
Laxmanji, don’t reveal these people in depth our culture. It is the humiliation of the nation ‘Why do you need to explain your backwardness? It is enough to inform them you are a good writer. … We should not insult the honour of the country by explaining all these things to them. (Gaikawad China)

On 15th August, Independence Day of the nation Laxman Gaikawad planned to arrange a grand agitation in the Latur. This was for the first time in the life of Kaikadi, Paradhi, Wadar, Berad, Rayandar, Gosavi, Pochamma, Banjara etc. to get gather in such a large number protesting the government policies. They participated in their traditional dressing along with animals like donkey, oxen, monkey, bear, pig etc. There Laxman addressed the huge gathering. It is very tragedy that in our country there are many people who struggle to fill their bellies and on the other hand there are some people who struggle to digest the food. Laxman notes, “The landlords have thousands of acre farms that has been usurped from the poor and illiterate people and have become the richest one. They are not branded as thieves. But the people who are having nothing to eat and they just wander from one place to another for a morsel. They didn’t get small land to burry crops and are smashed with the stones.” (Gaikawad 107)

Due to the adverse treatment of the caste Hindu society and improper steps of the government, the Nomadic tribes are quite away from education and healthy social life. They are overwhelmed in consumption of liquor, thieving, superstitions etc. After every successful thieving, some of the members would prepare liquor and rests of them kill a pig. Even the small children like are offered a glass of wine. It is appreciated if a child drinks the liquor in single draught.

Laxman is quite able to bifurcate the psyche of the people. Cultured person would say, ‘drinking should be prohibited for the healthy physique’, while Dada says, “Drink, it’s a good antidote against fever, cold.” (Gaikawad 69) He was strongly influenced by his teacher and it was his advice which inspired him to leave drinking habit, as a result, he leaves liquor in fourth standard. It reveals Laxman’s strong will that at such tender age and among adverse circumstances, he could leave drinking liquor.

To remain hungry for eight to nine days was the normal for the family of Laxman. They had to pass these days by drinking water only. Sometimes they cooked coarsely ground grain of milo (cheap grain). A kilo of milo, full of worms and insects, was distributed to them weekly or fortnightly. Without cleaning it, the women prepared its gruel and gave to everyone. Laxman drank his gruel quickly and expected more from the shares of Anna and Bhau.

It was difficult for Laxman to tolerate the hunger. In the month of Shravan, the food to evil spirits was offered by some people in the village. Nobody preferred to eat such offered to evil spirits. But Laxman was eating it ravenously offering some portion to the evil spirit to avoid its impression on him. Once they had to live for eight days merely drinking water. Laxman cried copiously placing his arms around the father’s neck. Martand borrowed a paisa and bought fifty gram and jaggery. He mixed it with water and distributed a cup of it to very member in the family. Sometimes Laxman used to smear salt on the grind stone and was licking it keenly.

The double standard mentality of the upper caste is revealed here. Laxman Gaikawad went with his sister-in-law for retouching the grindstone. When the Uchalyas touch the grindstone the upper caste people have not any objection.

Masanjogi is a nomadic tribe, the men of this community wear feathers of peacock and the strips of brass. An incident took place at Salukwad, Taluka Ahmedpur Dist. Ambajogai (M.S.), a landlord of Kingaon was robbed and he used his influence to pressurize the police to arrest the culprits. When police failed to spot the culprits, they came with the dog squad to the locality of the Masanjogi. In fact, the dogs didn’t hint at their locality. The police started raining blow on the inoffensive men, women and children and arrested about fifteen to twenty people. A blind man was given a broken brass plate on which the name of Kulkarni was inscribed. It was the only clue for the police. The police beat an old woman so severely that her backbone got fractured. The writer asked the police sub-Inspector to return their household articles and money. For Laxman, it was for the first time an inspector was telling the truth:
Look Saeb, after all I’am an Inspector. What my pay? I somehow pay the rent and maintain my wife and children. But our superior visits us we’ve to arrange for them the costliest wines and food. Each party costs not less than four to five hundred rupees at least. Now tell me, if I spend all this money out of my pay, will not my children and wife starve? (Gaikawad 207)

The remark of the inspector clearly reveals the realities of the social system. How shameful it is to cater the officers, the inspector makes the innocent tribals victims. Look at the brutality, the inspector feels happy demolishing the lives of the poor and provide every possible resource to his family. It keenly shows that the casteist and corrupt persons have no feelings for the oppressed and their problems.

Uchale are good judges of human beings on the psychological ground. They are very talented and skilled people. But due to the traditional social hierarchy they did not get any chance to flourish themselves and to do anything great for the nation. Under such circumstances, their talent is used a destructive way to alleviate the voraciousness. The accountability exclusively lies on the government and its policies. The branded communities have skills like acting, daring, positive attitude, etc. If they were given proper opportunities, they would have proved themselves.

Summing Up:

The Branded gives detailed account of Uchalya and other tribal communities. The members of these communities were branded as thief by British Government. As a result, even the children, women and old people of the community were considered as thieves. Laxman Gaikwad gives detailed account of the brutality of the police and upper caste people. Gaikwad provides an excellent example of the importance of education. Laxman’s father decides to send Laxman to school even facing the protest of the community. This is the result of the education that Laxman became aware of the injustice done to his community and he started to fight for the rights of his community. He has been continuously trying for the betterment of the downtrodden.

Works Cited:

1. 1. Dangle, Aruj (ed.). Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Dalit Literature, Hyderabad: Orient Longuman, 1992, Print.
2. 2. Gaikawad, Laxman. He Swatantrya Kanasathi? (For Whom This Freedom Is) Jalgaon: ShradhaPrakashan, Print.
3. 3. Gaikawad, Laxman, The Experience in China, (Chini Matitil Divas), Mumbai: Vimukta Prakashan, 1998. Print.
4. 4. Gaikwad, Laxman. The Branded. New Delhi: Sahitya Academi, 1998. Print.
5. 5. MLA. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Seventh ed. New Delhi: East West Press Ltd, 2009. Print.