Social Terror: Dalit family Defies Upper-Caste Diktat

Like any other parent, 45-year-old Chander Meghwal of Mana village wanted to give the groom a grand reception at his daughter Mamta’s wedding on Sunday.

However, a band is de rigueur for a marriage ceremony in the Malwa hinterlands to be called grand. And therein lay the rub.

Chander is a Dalit, and the dominant upper caste community in the village has decreed that no family of “low social status” should have a band as part of their marriage procession. At best, they could have a dhol – a two-headed barrel-shaped drum – for musical accompaniment.

A few upper caste members even threatened Chander of dire consequences if he tried to become their equal by hiring a full-fledged band. But Mamta, a class 12 student, wouldn’t be cowed down. Reiterating their right to celebrate happy occasions in ways they deemed proper, she suggested that they approach the district administration for help.

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