Rakesh Prajapti of Surat has even filed an application with police and the state government, seeking action against community leaders.
Religious customs and traditions are meant to bond community members and discourage them from treading on a wrong path, but sometimes some ignited minds find the old traditions not conforming to the changing times and gather courage to stand against the community leaders.
Rakesh Prajapti of Surat is one such person, who is facing unimaginable hardships owing to stubborn attitude of his community leaders. He has even filed an application with police and the state government, seeking action against community leaders.
Rakesh belongs to Gadhwada Prajapati Samaj, a prominent community in Mehsana, and is currently doing his PhD in aquatic biology. He is also studying BEd at VNSGU. When he was seven years old, Rakesh's parents had fixed his marriage with a one-year-old girl Varsha, from the same community.
Rakesh's life completely changed when he asked Varsha's parents to postpone the marriage till he clears his PhD. Not happy with the development Varsha's parents put the matter before the community leaders.
"Varsha's parents complained about me and my family at Gadhwana Panchayat. Without listening to our problems, the panchayat members imposed a fine of Rs85,000. They also asked us to pay a penalty of Rs30,000. I wanted to marry Varsha, and had asked her to wait till I clear my PhD, but her family members broke the marriage proposal and accused us for the same," Rakesh said.
Apart from penalising Rakesh's family, the panchayat also imposed fines on their relatives. Besides, the members also recovered the expenses incurred on calling the meeting.
"When I filed applications before the police and the state government against the unjust move, the leaders excommunicated my entire family from Gadhwana community.
They even asked the other members to sever all ties with us," Rakesh added.
Gadhwana community in Surat too expressed its inability in dealing with the situation. "Our community is known for various types of hypocrisies and Rakesh's case is just one of the hundreds of examples. The decision taken is wrong, but we are helpless and can't do anything to change it," Magan Prajapati, president of Surat Gadhwada Prajapati Samaj, said.
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