Sarpanch of Chappar village in Jind, Neelam (right)
(veil) is a symbol of male dominance, and female subservience, more so in the Jat-dominated Haryana. But Neelam, the 31-year-old feisty sarpanch of Chappar village in Jind district, has been waging a determined and relentless battle to end this centuries-old tradition in a land where women dare not speak in front of the male members of their families.
"After marriage, I was asked to keep a veil... it used to suffocate me... I couldn't even speak in front of my own family members... but no one understood," says Neelam.
Initially, her family did not approve of her endeavor to get rid of the practice. Many in the village frowned, and complained against her. But she refused to back out, and eventually had her way. She now not only mingles with male members of her in-laws' family, villager elders and officers, but also calls her husband Sohan Lal by his first name.
She couldn't have done all this without her husband's support, of course. "People would say your wife holds meetings and is seen without
ghoonghat. You should keep her in control. But now I realise the importance. As sarpanch, she has done a lot for the village," says Neelam's proud husband.
But spreading awareness in her village proved to be a more daunting task. She first launched a campaign to spread consciousness about women's rights and against social evils such as dowry and female foeticide, and gradually became the voice of women in her village.
"Earlier, we didn't have a voice, even when I disagreed with some decisions of the house, I was supposed to just stay put behind the
ghoonghat. I now participate and voice my opinion," points out Jyoti, a villager.
However, not everyone in the village agrees to go along. "We will keep the
ghoonghat. The sarpanch has lost her mind. This practice has been followed for years. How do you expect us to shun this all of a sudden?" asks Maya.