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Aregudem elders order boycott of Rajakas
In an incident that reflects humanity touching its lowest ebb, the village elders of Aregudem under Nelakondapalli mandal imposed social boycott on a few families of a Backward Class community for refusing to take part in the ritual of Mutyalamma fete. Despite the intervention of various social fora to quell the issue, the impasse continued as the village elders refused to budge.
​Khammam: In an incident that reflects humanity touching its lowest ebb, the village elders of Aregudem under Nelakondapalli mandal imposed social boycott on a few families of a Backward Class community for refusing to take part in the ritual of Mutyalamma fete. Despite the intervention of various social fora to quell the issue, the impasse continued as the village elders refused to budge.
Trouble started on the eve of Mutyalamma festival on Saturday with the Rajaka (Dhobi) community people refusing to carry sallakunda (earthen pot) in the village. As part of the ritual, persons belonging to Rajaka, Kummari and Madiga communities carry the sallakunda visiting all households in the village ahead of Mutyalamma fete.
Furious over the denial, the village elders have decided to impose social boycott on the Rajaka community families. They warned the villagers through tom-tom against offering any work to Rajakas in their houses. It was also decided that people who infringes the diktat would be fined Rs 1,000. The festival went through with the elders engaging the services of Rajaka community people from neighbouring villages.
Against this backdrop, Rajaka families are not being allowed to work in the village for the last two days, this despite the intervention of BC leaders.D Biksham of Rajaka community said “The way we were expelled deeply hurts us.” While the younger generation is not willing to follow the tradition, the others are old and not fit enough to carry the ritual (sallakunda), he reasoned why they refused to take part in the Mutyalamma fete, demanding the government to take stringent action against the village elders.
Speaking to The Hans India, Telangana Rajaka Seva Sangham president Konduru Satyanarayana and Prof Elchala Dathatri of Osmania University, who met the disheartened families in the village, said “This kind of discrimination is regrettable.
We will meet Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy seeking justice on Wednesday if the village elders fail to respect the Backward Classes.” It’s learnt that police were holding meetings separately with the village elders and the BC leaders to diffuse the situation. The impasse continued till 8 pm on Tuesday.
