Major khap has allowed inter-caste marriage
The decision of Haryana's largest khap panchayat to allow inter-caste marriages is welcome. It is in keeping with changing social norms and underlines the importance of traditional institutions evolving with the times. Inter-caste marriages have been on the rise as young men and women have chosen to discard traditional rules they no longer identify with. In many such cases, the old guard has retaliated unforgivingly — from social ostracisation to ‘honour’ killing. Satrol khap's decision to lift the 700-year-old ban on inter-caste marriage and also allow marital alliances between residents belonging to different villages under the same khap should help ease some of these social tensions. But while the move may be celebrated as a step towards progressive values, it is necessary to keep in mind that the decision has been driven by a societal crisis: A shortage of brides. This stems from a skewed sex ratio which, in turn, is perpetuated by patriarchal norms that favour the male child and encourage female foeticide and infanticide. Unsurprisingly, Haryana has the country's worst sex ratio. Compared to the national average of 943 females for every 1000 males, Haryana has just 879 females for every 1000 males. Neighbouring Punjab and Uttar Pradesh fare only slightly better, with 895 and 912 females respectively for every 1000 males. Many of these villages are home to just a handful of girls while some have none at all. In recent years, there have been reports of brides being ‘bought' from other parts of the country because baby girls in these areas were never allowed to live to marriageable age. One can only hope that those with a narrow mindset will now finally see the folly of their ways.
Change will not happen overnight — norms and traditions that have been practised by entire communities for centuries will not disappear in a day. But laws of nature, of evolution and survival, will push us to evolve and adapt, even if gradually. For instance, though Satrol khap has allowed inter-caste and inter-village marriages, it still has restrictions on alliances between persons belonging to the same gotra or among those who live in the same or nearby villages. This is because those belonging to the same village or gotra are considered to be part of one large family or clan — and inbreeding is discouraged across many cultures and communities as, from an evolutionary point of view, diversifying the gene pool is crucial to the furtherance of the species. However, while the basic science here still holds, societal rules and laws need to be tweaked or else they become redundant. This is what Satrol khap is doing, and thankfully, there are others following suit. For instance, last year, Malik khap relaxed the rules prohibiting inter-gotra marriages to allow for alliances with partners belonging to one's grandparents' gotras. But marriage to those belonging to one's parents' gotras are still off limits. People have to be taken along if more changes are to come.