Mulgujari

Mulgujari- Property Taxes. Also the name of the person that collects them.

One thing my Mom had to do while we were in India was pay the taxes on Dad's land. She needed a receipt to show that we've paid it, and they only will cut a receipt for Dad's direct family, meaning Mom, Pankaj or Jayant. (Yes, the daughters are not considered direct family, since we will eventually "belong" to someone else).

We get to the Mulgaujari's house and state our business. He has no idea where to even look to see how much we owe. In his small office/house are stacks and stacks of these red thin bounded, handwritten books. He goes through them one by one. Mom makes a point to tell me that there's no internet so it takes a little longer. Im thinking, no Internet? There's no nothing!

Finally he finds that we haven't paid taxes in 5 years and it costs 1500 rupees, about 30 US Dollars. But it gets more complicated. Dad's father purchased 3 lots of land while he was still alive. Dad then added 2 more plots. However, Dad purchased those 2 plots while in America and had one of his relatives cut the receipt. That relative is no longer living and the receipt is nowhere to be found. Therefore the Mulgujari has no idea that we own the other 2 parcels. We sat there and brainstormed how we can prove we own the land. No solution. Will actions speak louder than a receipt? Our relatives ARE the ones cultivating and maintaining it...

To be continued...