Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Same Gotra Marriage : The Most Controversial Argument

Marriage in India is considered to be the most beautiful relationship one can ever have and this is why it is an elaborate affair that seeks blessings of hundreds of Gods and relatives. But, unfortunately this importance and sanctity attached to marriages has begun to come across as a false show. Every other day, one finds something or the other coming up against marriages- be it inter-caste or inter-religion or same sex or same gotra marriage.

After hundreds of ‘honor killings’ against inter-caste marriages, it is now the turn of same gotra marriages. Khaps and Panchayats of the villages are dead opposed to the concept of marrying within the gotra whereas urban India remains oblivion to the whole idea of the controversy. They seek to ban same gotra marriage and are demanding amendments in Hindu Marriage Act as they firmly believe that their ruling cannot be fettered even by the Constitution of India.

All the hype and controversy surrounding same gotra marriage is much ado about nothing. The recent spate of violence and khap-ordained ‘honour killings’ have become a cause for dismay in the minds of right thinking citizens. We dream of a society free of divisions of caste and creed but are constantly grappling with the might and power of the feudal mindset that perpetrates caste. Khaps have threatened to MPs and MLAs to take a decision and ban sagotra marriages- marriage between people belonging to same gotra.

At least I am not able to understand what the big deal about ‘gotra’ is. I am sure like me, many of us have no idea what gotra means and which one do we belong to. Loosely called sub-caste, my mind questions, wasn’t division on the basis of castes enough that this new element of sub-caste has been triggered to slice us further.

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