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The importance of Khap Panchayats in India is rising precisely because of the media publicity they are receiving. Media, stop running to Khap Panchayats!
A spate of rapes in Haryana, and the Khap Panchayats are out with their antiquated prescriptions to save women by getting them married by the time they are 16. Never mind that rape victims tend to be not just young, single women but married mothers and grandmothers too. The Khaps are regressive, the Khaps have no deep understanding of crime against women, the Khaps are made up of old men who are desperate to hang on to their power based on age and caste, in a fast changing world which doesn’t value these variables anymore.
All right thinking people know this, I would think, but the media rush to seek Khap opinion on issues, and especially on issues involving women, makes me doubt it.
Why does our electronic media rush to get the ‘valued opinion’ of Khap leaders every time there is an incident on which a regressive pronouncement is likely to be available? For we know it – we know what the Khaps are likely to say. Their tune is unchanging – lock up the girls, cover up the girls, order the girls to ‘dress decently’, stop them from using mobile phones so they don’t ‘go astray’, ask the Government to implement gotra rules that have no scientific validity. Really, there is only one tune the Khaps know to sing and that is a tune by now familiar to most viewers.
So why exactly is the media rushing to get their soundbites? Because their regressive pronouncements can be used as fodder to generate outrage? Because they are so ludicrous as to make for good TRPs? Frankly, I am bored, and I assume so are many other viewers. It was cringe-inducing to see the reporter asking a Khap leader respectfully, what he thought of the latest rape case.
What is worrying is that the Khaps are more likely to gain more confidence in their imbecility, thanks to media attention. Until 5 years ago, little was known about Khap Panchayats beyond the areas in which they operate – today, the word ‘Khap’ is widely known, thanks to the extensive media attention they receive.
What exactly makes a Khap member an authority to whom media must run to for soundbites when there is a rape? By giving them the oxygen of publicity, and especially television publicity, the media is only doing Khaps a big favour. What is happening is that they are being set up as a legitimate authority on social issues, with a point of view that deserves our time.
The truth is exactly the opposite. With migration to urban areas rising, with caste as a factor in mobility declining (even if slowly),with gender roles becoming more fluid, Khaps as an authority are losing their validity. That is a good thing, and we should cheer for it. Now if only our media would stop running to these archaic henchmen of the status quo.
Founder & Chief Editor of Women's Web, Aparna believes in the power of ideas and conversations to create change. She has been writing since she was ten. In another life, she used to be read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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