'The Balgobin Saga' by Petamber Persaud is a groundbreaking work showing that Balgobin is an 'elusive and often overlooked character in Indian-Guyanese folklore. The mystery that surrounds him is curious given that his story has been in existence since the first arrival of Indians into Guyana in 1838.'
 
The Balgobin stories form an important aspect of the genesis of the East Indian to these parts, their struggle and healing. They came with their folklore in the glorious tradition of the Panchatantra, Hitopadesa, Upanishads and Purana in their bosom.  And in the time of need, from this very bosom burst forth Balgobin.
 
Balgobin is often portrayed dim-witted yet he is able to baffle educators, scraping through every test and oral examination by the skin of his teeth. It is believed that Balgobin was invented to stomp the School Inspector. That idea has a lot of credence for the preponderance of tales coming out of the classroom.
 
Another source whence cometh Balgobin is in the name itself. 'Bal' in Hindi means small. 'Gobin' is the nickname used by Lord Krishna, a mischievous child. So, Balgobin is a small god or a child god. As a mischievous child god, he is the embodiment of our own Balgobin.
 
This book provides a re-introduction to this lovable character and also shows how Indo-Guyanese used storytelling (Balgobin stories) to deal with the trauma of displacement and challenge of integration. 
 
The author Petamber Persaud was born in Guyana; he is a journalist, events coordinator, magazine editor, television producer and columnist.
 
[Published by Hansib Publications, UK, 2008]