(This article has been re-published in light of Sanjay Jatav, a 27-year-old Dalit from western UP, being 'allowed' to take out a procession for his wedding through his to-be-bride's Thakur-dominated village in Kasganj district. This first-person account of Jatav was first published on 4 April when upper-caste Thakurs had been objecting to the procession passing through the village, citing 'tradition'.)
We might be living in the 21st century but the fact remains that Thakurs in Nizampura village in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, continue to not allow girls and sisters belonging to the Dalit caste to take their wedding procession across the entire village. One of these girls is my fiance, Sheetal Kumari.
My name is Sanjay, I'm 27 years old and study in DS Degree College in Aligarh. I am a Jatav and belong to the Dalit caste. I hail from Basai Babas village in Hathras district of UP. My district lies adjacent on the west to Kasganj district where Sheetal lives. The alliance came to me through my paternal uncle.
Her village is dominated by the Thakurs, where of a population of about 400 people, only 40-50 people are Jatavs, which is a Dalit caste.
Nizampura has come to be known as a village where Jatavs are oppressed and hence there is a murmur of not forming alliances with women there. I feel immensely humiliated seeing that militant members of the Thakur caste think Dalit men riding a horse in front of their homes is a personal insult to them.
From the grace of god I've been born a human being in this age and time. But, some people who behave like demons are keeping me from reaping the true happiness and benefits of being born a human in this life.
My icon, Dr Bhimrao Babaji Ambedkar, has given each person the right of equality in the Constitution. In spite of constitutional backing in the 21st century, Dalits are openly being treated unfairly. The Thakur community have instilled a fear in the minds of people from the Jatav caste of taking out a wedding procession through the village.
If everyone’s wedding procession is going across the village, then why can’t the same happen with my wedding?
I want everyone to be treated with parity in this country and hence have been visiting the district magistrate, circle officer, superintendent of police and other related local authorities here. I have also written to the Prime Minister. But all these repeated denials by the government officials and authorities is only keeping my spirits up.
When my wedding procession leads to Sheetal's village on 20 April, I want it to go across the village unstopped. I want the authorities to grant me the permission of conducting my marriage the way I would want to. Will they do that?
Of course, I'm concerned about the safety of her family. They have been consistently threatening her family and her brother. They keep saying they will kill her brother if the wedding procession goes across the village. You tell me, is this correct?
I have a feeling that the Thakurs are just saying this and they will not be able to do anything in reality. Badal garajte baraste nahi. I'm trying to get her brother, Bittoo, a job so he moves away from the village. Regarding the other family members, I'm certain nothing untoward will happen. They're angry right now but the anger will subside over time. I can't tell if they will understand what we are demanding but I know that what I am doing is important for all Dalit families. It is important that they are unafraid.
Old traditions need to break to make way for change. We can't continue to be the slaves of the upper caste anymore. This needs to end.
(As told to Aishwarya S Iyer by Sanjay Jatav who is a resident of Hathras District, Uttar Pradesh.)
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