For the uninitiated, Khap Panchayats in India refer to the assembly of khap elders belonging to one or more clans who govern a group of villages and spell directives for their inhabitants from time to time. They are of course 'quasi judicial' in nature but complied with in all seriousness by those living in the villages. Khap panchayat directives have been in the news from time to time for all the wrong reasons due to their archaic and arbitrary nature. However, the latest set of directives issued by the Sangwan Khap, in a meeting of 40 villages in Dadri district of Uttar Pradesh, must be seen in a positive light: they're a sign that the orthodox Khaps are perhaps beginning to change with the times in keeping with the evolving society and social traits.
Chief of the Sangwan Khap, Jorwar Singh Sangwan, announced at a recent assembly of the Khap Panchayat the decision to ban public drinking in villages, playing of loud DJ music during weddings or during other personal functions and all celebratory firing of personal weapons during marriages. Sangwan also spoke of their Khap’s support for the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Beti Khilao’ mission of the government. He spoke of the need to encourage all girls to attend school, get proper education and pursue sports. He wanted all parents to fight female foeticide, an evil practice of killing girl children at birth, which had resulted in an alarming imbalance in male-female ratio and been the cause of rising social tensions due to lack of marriageable girls in the villages of Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
To improve the green cover in and around the villages, the Khap also gave a novel call for planting of a tree on the occasion of a birth in the family, death of an elder and during weddings as well. This way, people's participation in addressing an environmental problem would increase thereby improving the green cover in their surroundings as well.
The slew of directives have been largely welcomed by all villagers as each of these had become a social problem. The Khap also announced that they would extend its support to the Jat agitation for inclusion in the reserved category that will enable quotas for Jats but clarified that they will support peaceful agitation only.
For the uninitiated, Khap Panchayats in India refer to the assembly of khap elders belonging to one or more clans who govern a group of villages and spell directives for their inhabitants from time to time. They are of course 'quasi judicial' in nature but complied with in all seriousness by those living in the villages. Khap panchayat directives have been in the news from time to time for all the wrong reasons due to their archaic and arbitrary nature. However, the latest set of directives issued by the Sangwan Khap, in a meeting of 40 villages in Dadri district of Uttar Pradesh, must be seen in a positive light: they're a sign that the orthodox Khaps are perhaps beginning to change with the times in keeping with the evolving society and social traits.
Chief of the Sangwan Khap, Jorwar Singh Sangwan, announced at a recent assembly of the Khap Panchayat the decision to ban public drinking in villages, playing of loud DJ music during weddings or during other personal functions and all celebratory firing of personal weapons during marriages. Sangwan also spoke of their Khap’s support for the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Beti Khilao’ mission of the government. He spoke of the need to encourage all girls to attend school, get proper education and pursue sports. He wanted all parents to fight female foeticide, an evil practice of killing girl children at birth, which had resulted in an alarming imbalance in male-female ratio and been the cause of rising social tensions due to lack of marriageable girls in the villages of Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
To improve the green cover in and around the villages, the Khap also gave a novel call for planting of a tree on the occasion of a birth in the family, death of an elder and during weddings as well. This way, people's participation in addressing an environmental problem would increase thereby improving the green cover in their surroundings as well.
The slew of directives have been largely welcomed by all villagers as each of these had become a social problem. The Khap also announced that they would extend its support to the Jat agitation for inclusion in the reserved category that will enable quotas for Jats but clarified that they will support peaceful agitation only.
