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Nizampura village will not forget the wedding procession that unleashed a plethora of emotions as the sun set on Sunday, 15 July. On one hand, the Dalits danced with abandon and a sense of confidence after years of subjugation; on the other hand, the Thakurs who continued to disapprove of the wedding, had no option but to hold on to their caste-based resentment and look on. Nizampura was never going to be the same again.
The village with a population of 400 people in UP's Kasganj district is dominated by Thakurs. For almost six-months now, tension between the Dalit and Thakur community mounted over the former insisting on taking their wedding procession across Thakur homes in an unprecedented bid to have their way. The Quint had earlier travelled to the village at the peak of the conflict to document the stand-off between both communities.
The Dalit couple, Sanjay Jatav and Sheetal, wrote to authorities but were denied permission quoting 'safety concerns' and 'tradition' twice, till on 9 April a compromise was reached. This was around the same time media attention around the issue was at its peak. The wedding procession was to take a longer route, moving out of the confined boundaries of the Dalit homes and going around the village, across a few Thakur homes. The day was set – Sunday, 15 July.
'Thakurs Strength Broken by One Move'
"Now, my brothers have oppressed them instead. All the discrimination that Dalits face has ended with this one move. He will get onto a horse and get the bride home. If they have the strength they should come and stop us," the groom's cousin sister Renu told The Quint hours before the wedding in Basai Babas village in Hathras district. "We have broken the strength of the Thakurs with this one move," she said.
An air of excitement enveloped Sanjay's village where the procession was set to take off from. Uma Shankar, 47, who came all the way from Etah district waited patiently outside for everyone to be ready. He said with a smile, "This is a very big deal. Ye aatma-samman ki baat hain (This is about self-respect.) For decades our wedding procession didn't go across the village. We used to feel small and disrespected. We have broken that pratha (tradition) and started a new one.”
As hours went by, the crowd swelled in Nizampura, where people arrived uninvited. Santosh Kumar, 45-year-old labourer, travelled 200-km south, four hours from Mahmudpur village, for the wedding. Two of his friends accompanied him on the bus journey. "Hum Dalit samman aur apni beti ke liye aaye hain. (We have come for the respect of Dalits and our daughter). No one invited us; we came to show our strength and show support. We have heard about Dalits in Nizampura being oppressed by the Thakurs, now that has changed and we have come to be a part of that celebration."
This was no ordinary wedding for the Dalits present in Nizampura. It was symbolic of an end to their subjugation by upper castes. While walking towards the baraat, 34-year-old Rahul Gautam from Kasganj says, "Dalito ki baraat nahi chadne denge (We will not let the wedding procession of Dalits take off.) This is what the Thakurs have said for decades. Now see what has been done. This is our right and I am glad this battle has been fought." By 6:00 pm the crowd swelled further to include about a thousand people, hundreds more than those invited. Sanjay Jatav who was caught-up by mediapersons for interviews finally mounted his horse-driven chariot.
As his procession moved ahead, people tried to zip through the crowd to shake hands with him, take selfies with him and take videos of him. The young Dalit boys of Nizampura, who have never had the pleasure of dancing at a wedding procession are not leaving any stone unturned to celebrate the moment. To add to the moment of revelry, a loud DJ played a mix of Bollywood and Bhojpuri music, keeping everyone entertained.
All the Thakurs have left. "They got scared and left," Kumar smirked as he walked speedily to join his friends at the janmasa, where the food was being served.
The Thakurs Hold on to Their Pride
The area where the Thakurs live wore a deserted look. Most streets were empty and some homes locked with policemen camped on chairs at regular intervals. While walking around the village The Quint ran into 55-year-old Sushil Kumar Chauhan. He said he was a driver by profession but has not worked for more than two years due to health issues.
"If we wanted a conflict, you think the media or these authorities could have stopped us?," Chauhan looked at me with disdain. While he repeatedly insisted that they didn't have a problem with the wedding procession, he said, "Caste sabko apne karam par milti hain. Lekin ye log, inke paas paisa kya aagaya inhone apne baap ka kaam chod diya. Jis din unhone vo kaam rok diya vo apne baap ke nahi rahain. (Everyone is born into a caste due to their karma. But after getting money, these people have stopped following the occupation of their fathers. When they stopped doing that they ceased to be their father's children.)" A visibly upset and angry Chauhan tries hard to contain himself.
Sixty-year-old Rajkumari while filling buckets with water said, "This boy will get married and leave. Who will help the family after that? Will he help them on a day-to-day basis?" She continues to remain upset that the Thakurs sehmati (approval) was not taken. Narendra Chauhan, 62, said, "Bawaal khada kar diya in kone wala kothiyo ne. (These people have created chaos in the village.) Never has a Dalit wedding procession crossed Thakur homes, what has happened,?" he asked.
Before the wedding procession arrived at the bride’s place, Sheetal told The Quint she was both happy and worried. “I am happy that the wedding is happening the way it is but I am worried because I don’t want them to hurt my family once I am gone. The Thakurs have given death threats to my brother,” she said.
As I left the village, armed with my story, a Thakur woman said, "They have one more daughter who they will want to get married the same way. You will be back." Her smile was contagious.
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