A village accountant or karanam (Andhra Pradesh), patwari (Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, West Bengal), patowary (Assam), talati (Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra), lekhpal (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand), village officer (Kerala) is a government role in rural areas of the Indian subcontinent. Introduced during the early 16th century, it was maintained by the British Raj. The official, as a representative of the state, is responsible for keeping land records, agricultural records and collecting taxes and acting as the revenue police in certain areas where they were given special jurisdiction.

They are village-level revenue officials responsible for maintaining land records, collecting land revenue, and assisting in land surveys and verification. While the titles vary across states, their functions are broadly similar.

Mughal emperor Akbar improved the patwari system, which had been introduced in the Indian subcontinent under the leadership of Sher Shah Suri. The East India Company and subsequently British crown continued with the system with some administrative changes. It denotes the office of the talati in rural Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The office and its holder are known as Talatis, and holders of the office have adopted it as their family name. The talati replaced the kulkarni in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The duties of a talati are performed under a different title in other Indian states; a talati is known as a patwari in Telangana, Punjab and Haryana. Originally a land-holding clerk, the talati is now a paid, government-appointed official. A patil (patel in Gujarat) is an outsider who assists the talati in collecting revenue. It has been alleged that records maintained by the talati do not reflect actual positions, because the talati did not take into account the tribal custom of using the name of the adult male family member for land possession.

In 1814, duties of the Talati included preserving village records, monitoring daily activities, and gathering information about individuals (including mukhis and other village elites). The 1882 Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency records the Talati as a village accountant, in charge of eight to ten villages, whose annual salary was £12-£18 (Rs. 120–180). The Talati was expected to live in one of the villages and visit each village every month to learn villagers needs and report them to the sub-divisional manager at the sub-divisional office. The Talati was also required to give each landholder an account with the landholder's dues. In August 1891, a talati's salary was recorded as low.

In 1884, Mountstuart Elphinstone was reported as saying that the talati promoted the government but reduced the authority of the patel; Elphinstone recommended minimising the interference. The appointment of a talati was viewed negatively by village chiefs, who saw him as a government representative in the absence of a kulkarni or watandar. The talati was also involved in collecting annual census data after Mrigashīrsha. Talatis are known as patwari in Bengal, karanam in Andhra Pradesh and North India, and kanakku pillai in Tamil villages.

Known as lekhpal in Uttar Pradesh, the word is derived from the Sanskrit root tal (to accomplish a vow, to establish or to fix) and has the same meaning in Marathi.

The duties of a talati include maintaining village crop and land records and collecting taxes and irrigation dues.

Among the administration, the talati has the closest connection with the villagers. Generally in charge of a group of villages known as a saza, they are required to reside in the saza unless authorized by the Collector; however, most talatis were found to be in violation of the rule. Part of the Brahmin caste in most cases, the talati is generally considered a representative of the government.