This is the story of a village where Dalits have become economically and politically powerful, and are trying to raise their status in the local social hierarchy, but encounter fierce resistance from the upper castes. As a result, social life becomes complex and complicated to the extent that almost the entire institutional framework, which brings order and stability in society, is being questioned and contested with different castes living in a "hostile" social environment. Such an emergent collectivity gives birth to caste and communal conflicts, "honour" killings, and has implications for the functioning of democratic institutions and implementation of development programmes.
