The homes that the extended family of Chaudhary Devi Lal has built resemble mini forts. Against the neighbouring amalgam of modest brick-and-mortar homes and shops, the stone structures featuring battlements, arches, and carved wooden doors appear medieval in Sirsa’s Chautala village on the Haryana-Rajasthan border.
If homes are anything to go by, theirs say a lot: of the political power they yield locally of course, but also of their heritage as part of the wealthy, landed Jat community. Mostly though, they speak of lineage derived from Devi Lal — freedom fighter, farmer activist, and founder of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). A local leader who rose to national prominence, he was the sixth Deputy Prime Minister of India (1989-1990).
