A devout Hindu, Rampal Lodhi follows every ritual. He shuns non-vegetarian food on Tuesdays, fasts on full-moon days and even encourages his family to take part in religious ceremonies in his village of Gadhiya in Etah district, roughly 207 km from Delhi. But, unlike most other Hindus, he neither goes to any temple nor believes in idol worship.
"Bandook mera bhagwaan hai. Isne mujhe aur mere parivaar ko bachaya hai [The gun is my God. It has saved me and my family]," declares Lodhi. For over three decades, the 55-year-old farmer says he has borne the brunt of exploitation by the landed class in his village. That he has managed to protect himself and his family, he claims, is largely thanks to a gun he got in 2005 after 20 years of trying.
Read the complete article: The Economic Times (India)