Simple and quiet weddings in lockdown days shot in the arm for khaps
MEERUT: When Commonwealth medalist wrestler Babita Phogat tweeted on Saturday in support of simple marriages held during lockdown in different parts of the country and said the trend should continue post-corona to strengthen the country’s social and economic conditions, she was echoing what has been propagated by khap panchayats in western UP and Haryana for decades.
Khap panchayats, which are mainly groups of a clan or clans, are popular in Haryana and western UP and act as social reformers. Persuading people to go in for simple marriages has been on their agenda for years.
Subhash Baliyan, secretary of Sarv Khap Panchayat, said, “What we failed to do in decades, they (people) did willingly during lockdown. Many marriages were held in the presence of merely 4 and 5 relatives without any pomp and show, checking unnecessary extravagance. They were in all manner simple marriages which we always advocated.”
Baliyan said that show and extravagance in marriages had become a ‘ social evil’ and heads of different Khaps always advised people to opt for simple marriages without dowry and free flow of money. He said Phogat’s tweet was an indicator that corona had provided an opportunity to push efforts for simple marriages.
Bhartiya Kisan Union chief Naresh Tikait is choudhary (head) of Baliyan Khap which has members in 84 villages. He also opined that the way marriages were held during lockdown was being advocated by Khaps for a long time. “Now the time has come when we can convince people to shun this social evil and adopt simple ways of living, including marriages, instead of wasting their money on showing off”, said Tikait, adding, “The corona crisis has also shown us how to live a simple life with available resources”. He said that the issue would be discussed in the next panchayat and hoped there would be more support from people in the changed scenario. He reiterated that the crisis would continue for a longer period, so people would resort to marriages with limited gathering and it might pave the way for simple marriages which Khaps have been suggesting for quite a long time. Surendra Singh, choudhary of Desh Khap, shared that he was in regular contact with heads of different Khaps through phone even during lockdown and such self-motivated acts of people kindled hope for their relentless battle against social evils. He said that expensive marriages and demand for dowry were major concerns for parents of a girl and this social evil could be easily ended by going in for simple marriages, some of which were witnessed during lockdown. “This was a positive side of corona crisis and Khaps should now take it as an opportunity to push the decades old agenda of convincing people for simple marriages”.
A young teacher Vibha Tomar of Desh Khap said marriages during lockdown had set an example of simplicity and would give a fillip to the Khaps efforts to push their reforms, but added that all depends on attitude of youths. It would yield desired outcome if youths come forward to support against such evils which puts extra financial burden on girls’ families”.
State president of Rashtriya Jat Mahasangh Rohit Jakhar, who belongs to Jakhar Khap strongly believes that the pandemic would compel people for introspection to bring changes in their lives and what they were experiencing now would motivate them to discard pomp and show.