A town with no crime is a dream everywhere. It means safety, security, and trust for the residents within, so surely anyone would like to preserve that. That’s the case for the fictional town of Dhadakpur, the setting of Dupahiya. As the robbery happens, it understandably causes chaos in the town, but as the Jha family tries to solve the mystery, they also introduce us to the villagers– the humorous synchronicities that the town has, their simple but honest hopes and dreams, and the wit they have precisely because of their shared community– through various interconnected quests to preserve their individual, familial, and town’s reputations. It takes a while to all come together, but Dupahiya effortlessly weaves its threads through thoughtful writing and care for its characters.

It’s so interesting how this small town ends up taking on larger ideas like the dowry, employment being tied to marriage, female leadership, clout chasing, the youth wanting to move out to another place, etc. It takes these ideas not as vague talking points, but as ideas that have concrete consequences to people involved.