Hyderabad NGO holds mela for inter-caste couples

HYDERABAD: The past year has served as a stark reminder of how Telangana is still rooted in the idea of caste. In an attempt to make a difference, the Kula Nirmulana Sangham, also known as the Casteless Society of India, organised a ‘mela’ for the inter-caste and inter-religion married couples to get together and interact on Saturday.

Around 400 members attended the mela, which is being held for the last 47 years. Jyoti, a volunteer working for the NGO said, “At least half of the delegates were inter-caste or inter-religion married couples. Around six to seven were recently married.”

The NGO helps inter-caste/religion married couples who are in distress and provides them with protection. In fact, Jyoti too married out of her religion. When she got married to Wahid, the General Secretary of the Kulanirmulana Sangham in 1992 during the demolition of Babri Masjid, the NGO provided protection to them.  Since then they have been working for the NGO. “If Pranay and Amrutha had come to us, the violence could have been avoided,” she said.