Usha Chowdhary
In Jalore, western Rajasthan, caste panchayats — known as ‘jati panchayat’ — are active.
They see themselves as a body — by virtue of its influence on local villagers — which can impose its views on social issues, for what it defines as ‘common good’.
All of this may sound familiar to those watching the developments of other such panchayats, which have not just ostracised young boys and girls for daring to love and marry outside the strict definitions of ‘gotra’ or ‘family ties’ but pronounced violent judgments within their arena of power.
Mercifully, there is a difference. Across 16 villages of Aahor block of Jalore, a ‘Mumkin Hai Committee’ has been formed under a local NGO, Vikalp. This has brought together women, teachers, anganwadi workers, Asha workers and youth of these villages on a common platform with an objective of making the district “free from domestic violence and female foeticide”.
In Rajasthan, the going for such a platform is bound to be difficult. Child marriage is rampant and girl children are denied schooling and kept tied to domesticity. Over a period of 16 days, this motley group took out a ‘padyatra’ across several villages like Kotda, Jethpura, Nosra and Gudarma to raise the issues of child marriage and girl foeticide.
Active participation
What is interesting is that the change of mindset became apparent from the quarters which have been part of the entrenched system believing in and upholding social practices that in fact weigh the girl child down. Ukaram Dewasi, 50, of Dudiyan in Aahore tehsil, is a ‘panch’. Over the last one and half months, he had been drawn into the activities and discussions of this committee — much of which questioned what he had believed, the social mores that were handed down over generations, those he simply did not question. Child marriage, for instance was an accepted part of life in the region and Ukaram did not really have a problem with it.
For Ukaram, it was a journey into the unknown. His perspective coming a full circle to see the reason why early marriage should be discouraged. The discussions which he was hesitant to join in initially, made him see how the growth and development of the region’s girl child depended on her getting education and opportunities that arise from it. Ukaram raised the issue at one of the meetings with ‘Dewasi’ community, where the MLA of Sirohi Odharam Dewasi and others panchs participated.
What was heartening is that he was not parroting any jargon by any NGO or otherwise. His words sprung deep from his own conviction and a realisation of how wrong his views had previously been.
As expected, it was not well received initially but the power of his own conviction and the dint of his argument helped Ukaram. Others in the group also took the step forward to not only question social mores but actually transform their own outlook and come out not only with a statement of support but a commitment to carry it forward.
They passed a resolution: “No parent would encourage child marriage in his own family”. “If any family allows the girl’s marriage before 18 years of age and boy’s marriage before 21, the Dewasi community would impose a fine of Rs 50,000 on the family”. The resolution also added: “The guilty family will also have to make available at least two jute bags of wheat for pigeons”.
In the case of Jalore district, it is one man who could see light, who transformed himself to open the way to a larger social transformation. The efforts of Vikalp in the region, the local forum ‘Mumkin Hai’ which came together to first visualise and then take action towards a better deal for its girl children came to a fruition with this one man. If this can be done in one region, changing the perceptions of one person, surely the light can spread. It is perhaps this transformation which is more enduring than any top-down programmes which seek to impose rather than co-opt the local people in social change.
All of this may sound familiar to those watching the developments of other such panchayats, which have not just ostracised young boys and girls for daring to love and marry outside the strict definitions of ‘gotra’ or ‘family ties’ but pronounced violent judgments within their arena of power.
Mercifully, there is a difference. Across 16 villages of Aahor block of Jalore, a ‘Mumkin Hai Committee’ has been formed under a local NGO, Vikalp. This has brought together women, teachers, anganwadi workers, Asha workers and youth of these villages on a common platform with an objective of making the district “free from domestic violence and female foeticide”.
In Rajasthan, the going for such a platform is bound to be difficult. Child marriage is rampant and girl children are denied schooling and kept tied to domesticity. Over a period of 16 days, this motley group took out a ‘padyatra’ across several villages like Kotda, Jethpura, Nosra and Gudarma to raise the issues of child marriage and girl foeticide.
Active participation
What is interesting is that the change of mindset became apparent from the quarters which have been part of the entrenched system believing in and upholding social practices that in fact weigh the girl child down. Ukaram Dewasi, 50, of Dudiyan in Aahore tehsil, is a ‘panch’. Over the last one and half months, he had been drawn into the activities and discussions of this committee — much of which questioned what he had believed, the social mores that were handed down over generations, those he simply did not question. Child marriage, for instance was an accepted part of life in the region and Ukaram did not really have a problem with it.
For Ukaram, it was a journey into the unknown. His perspective coming a full circle to see the reason why early marriage should be discouraged. The discussions which he was hesitant to join in initially, made him see how the growth and development of the region’s girl child depended on her getting education and opportunities that arise from it. Ukaram raised the issue at one of the meetings with ‘Dewasi’ community, where the MLA of Sirohi Odharam Dewasi and others panchs participated.
What was heartening is that he was not parroting any jargon by any NGO or otherwise. His words sprung deep from his own conviction and a realisation of how wrong his views had previously been.
As expected, it was not well received initially but the power of his own conviction and the dint of his argument helped Ukaram. Others in the group also took the step forward to not only question social mores but actually transform their own outlook and come out not only with a statement of support but a commitment to carry it forward.
They passed a resolution: “No parent would encourage child marriage in his own family”. “If any family allows the girl’s marriage before 18 years of age and boy’s marriage before 21, the Dewasi community would impose a fine of Rs 50,000 on the family”. The resolution also added: “The guilty family will also have to make available at least two jute bags of wheat for pigeons”.
In the case of Jalore district, it is one man who could see light, who transformed himself to open the way to a larger social transformation. The efforts of Vikalp in the region, the local forum ‘Mumkin Hai’ which came together to first visualise and then take action towards a better deal for its girl children came to a fruition with this one man. If this can be done in one region, changing the perceptions of one person, surely the light can spread. It is perhaps this transformation which is more enduring than any top-down programmes which seek to impose rather than co-opt the local people in social change.
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