Mallika Writes: Just Speaking
Caste-ing Fear
A few days ago, at a public discussion a woman cornered me saying she wished to discuss a public matter concerning the use of surnames with me. In a hurry as the proceedings were due to start, I gave her my number and asked her to call me. Three days ago she visited me and shared her story. Given the continuing discussions about castes and sub castes and their increasing use by politicians and their hold over people I will share it here with you.
Her name is Mrs. Contractor. From Kutchch. A Gujjar Kshatriya. With a name like Contractor, I asked. And there in lies the story. Mrs. Contractor’s grand-father-in-law was a contractor by profession and a very good one. So people started referring to him not by his surname which was, I think, Rajput or Rathod, but as Contractor. By the time his children went to school, they were automatically referred to as the kids of Contractor. In order to make life easy, or so he thought, senior contractor became, officially Contractor. So our lady became Mrs. Contractor and was quite happy with that. Till, many years later she became President of the women’s wing of the national association of the community. One year through her three year tenure, a general circular signed by the Superior Mahamantri of the community’s Mahasabha arrived announcing that no-one with surnames other than traditional clan ones will be considered part of the community or be able to hold position in a community organization. Mrs.Contractor was shocked. Had this been put to her before she became President, she would have refused for she has no intention of changing her name because of some community diktat. She reasoned with them. She explained. All to no avail. So she filed a case in the court calling this unlawful. By this time she had finished her two remaining years as President, and, by her own accounts, done well. Next she received a letter from the Office bearers of the organization saying that as she had defied the community by filing a case against it she had become person non grata.
Could this be allowed, she asked me. Was it not unfair and unjust?
Looking at the circular, what astonished me equally was the next item which stated that all inter caste marriages would be considered unacceptable and that no publication should take note of them or publish announcements thereof.
I asked her what she thought of the decision, and the decision makers. Not very highly I was told. Why, in that case, was she concerned about whether they found her acceptable or not in the community? Did they feed her? Did her daily living depend on them? Was she concerned that she would not be invited to their functions? Did she depend on them in times of crises and was she afraid that they wouldn’t once she continued this stand? NO, no and no were her replies. Then what did it matter if they raved and ranted? She had no response.
In a case such as this, if a caste group makes rules which go against the law of the land, is a person justified in taking them on? Suppose Mrs. Contractor had not finished her tenure, and suppose she was asked to resign or change her name, would that not be a case of violating her individual freedom?
It is precisely for such reasons that I so admire people who get rid of surnames that have associations with caste or professions, and decide either to coin a new name for themselves or to take on just a pretty name. In this I have two favourites – our own wonderful social activists Deepti Raju and Raju Deepti who wish only to be known through their immediate affiliation with their chosen spouse; and the family of my young Rajasthani colleague whose father, while migrating to the US twenty years ago decided that all four members should choose names they liked. And so they did. Much to the annoyance of authorities everywhere who think the move wads made solely to confuse them and increase their work load in filling forms.
July 20th, 08
DNA
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