Khap's Diktat

In five minutes flat, a Khap can do what a Supreme Court cannot in decades: justice is delivered in a lightning flash on the spot, by five buzurg wise men who have never been to a court of law. If a ladki is r@ped, just force the bloody balaatkari to marry that girl - if he refuses, or escapes, force the haraami's younger brother to marry the girl - you cannot let a village ladki's life to be ruined like this - Haan, if a jean clad woman is molested in broad daylight then the Khap cannot do anything much about it if you dress like a firangi, you are corrupting the minds of our simple village folks; you have to dress properly, and first of all, you have to stop eating this Chowmein This chowmein is the chief cause of all modern evils such angrezi food will create heat in you, bringing evil thoughts So if you wish to be protected by your own people, you have to eat your own desi food - your ghar ka khana. And see, all people in village are brothers and sisters, so a village ladka cannot marry a village ladki; and you cannot marry in the same gotra also - Ha! what do these kal kaa chhokraa know about gotra - people of the same gotra have the same ancestors, how can you marry your own brother or sister? Such things are happening in foren countries, and you see what's happening there - AIDS, wars, disease, gun culture… and you compare that with our culture, our life! ! We have nothing to say against the education of girls - but they should dress properly and not carry mobiles; wear proper saree, put bindi on your forehead if married, stay at home all day, if you want to go for sabzi shopping, go in the company of chaachi, mausi, behan or relative, and always look down at the road, not sideways, behave as our bahu beti with proper chaal-chalan, sanskaar - and then, and then if someone even looks at you with a slanting eye Maa Kasam, that eye will be gouged out with hot iron rods! ******** (The poem was short-listed for the AIPC-2013 National Poetry Competition) NOTES: - Khap: - Informal village court where rules are framed by elders Buzurg: - A respectable elder Ladki: - A girl (Ladka = boy) Balaatkari: - One who forces oneself on another Haraami: - A wicked person (sinner) Firangi: - Foreigner (lit. white skinned) Angrezi: - English (anything of foreign origin) Desi: - Country made / indegenous Ghar ka khaana: - Home made food Gotra: - Kinship on the basis of hoary ancestral totemic lineage dating back to millennia Kal kaa chhokraa: - The Young Generation (yesterday's child) Saree: - Indian dress for women, in which entire body is covered with a single long cloth Bindi: - Vermillion mark on a woman's forehead symbolising her married status Sabzi: - Vegetable Chaachi: - Paternal aunt Mausi: - Maternal aunt Behan: - Sister Bahu: - Daughter-in-law Beti: - Daughter Chaal chalan: - General character, conduct and behaviour of a person Sanskaar: - Family/cultural values and traditions inculcated in a person Maa kasam: - An oath in the name of Mother