http://timesofindia
Silent revolution: Rise in marriages of others to dalits
Subodh Ghildiyal & Swati Mathur, TNN, 31 January 2010, 12:56am IST
NEW DELHI: The figures may be more impressive than they appear at
first glance going by the depth of the caste divide. India saw 4,750
inter-caste marriages involving dalits in 2008-09, the number being
marginally lower at 4,205 in 2007-08. In 2006-07, this stood at 3,945.
Though absolute figures for 2010 are awaited, the estimates from
states have put it at 5,862, showing that the upward trend has not
slackened. These are no mean numbers, given how entrenched caste
prejudice is in society where marriage still remains a largely
insulated institution.
Experts may caution against premature celebrations and counsel deeper
investigation. But the numbers point to a trend that is not just
holding but also perhaps gathering momentum. Even the fact that the
couples in these alliances have stepped forward to document their
marriages speaks of the cast-iron social compartments loosening. After
all, it was Bhimrao Ambedkar who advocated "intermixing of blood" as a
way to reduced caste animosity.
The devil, however, may be in detail. Vivek Kumar, sociologist in JNU
who tracks dalit trends, says, "The numbers are impressive for sure.
But you have to scratch the surface to see how many such ties are
between OBCs and SCs. Also, in SC-upper caste marriages, how many are
women from upper castes."
The touch of caution seems in place. According to data, traditionally
rigid societies are still holding out, while those with reform
movements appear to have embraced the change.
The social justice ministry of Mukul Wasnik gives an incentive of Rs
50,000 to each such couple. The tally, however, only registers those
who come forward to claim the incentive. Hopefully there are more.
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra lead the chart, registering around
1,000 for three years. In 2010, Maharashtra promises to double its
figures to 2,214.
Kerala and Karnataka have also registered good absolute numbers at 996
and 600, respectively, in 2009 and promise to repeat the show.
Haryana, for all its `khap panchayats' and honour killings, seems to
do well with 94 marriages in 2009, 129 in 2008 and an estimated 80 in
2010. The same applies to MP with 199 in 2009, 117 in 2008 and 95 in
2007.
In sharp contrast, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Punjab and West Bengal seem
unaffected by the winds of change.
While holding out hope for a casteless future, the data also
underlines a frozen social reality. Experts say Gujarat and
Uttarakhand are known to be strong hierarchical societies and absence
of marriages between SCs and non-SCs may reflect a political attitude.
Pradeep Tamta, MP from Almora reserved seat in Uttarakhand, said,
"Even if there are mixed marriages, government does not want to be
seen as incentivising or promoting them. It is politically fraught."
This may be true for Gujarat too. Experts say it is impossible that
mixed marriages don't happen. "Maybe, people are scared of the
publicity for fear of a caste backlash," said Vivek Kumar.
Importantly, the high rate of inter-caste marriages in South may still
not include upper castes as part of this change. The 1911 caste census
of Madras Presidency put upper castes at 2%, which may mean that most
marriages are among OBCs (largely Most Backwards) and SCs.
Real `castelessness' is still a long way off. Experts say that
"hypergamy" (male from Dwija castes) has religious sanction while
"hypogamy" (woman from upper caste) would mean the real breaking away
from stratification.
Bengal, on the other hand, is the unknown entity vis-a-vis inter-caste
tieups. The communist system, with no belief in caste, records no
figures. But this bit of progressive culture could be hiding a
disturbingly static society.
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