On my pleading, the mirror on the wall decided to debunk a hundred misconceptions that people have about our community and form assumptions they think are right. For a culturally diverse country like India, where a different ritual resides in every home, it's not surprising that misconceptions erupt but never really die down. To add to the myths, creative freedom ( which otherwise finds itself difficult to breathe among all the restrictions) peaks for all the wrong reasons and depicts things that may not be true to a culture.
That moment when the word Rajput flies out of my mouth, I can see a million questions hovering over someone's mind. Questions like, do you get water in Jaisalmer? Why are there no dances in your wedding processions? Do you get to go out? Why weren't you married off as a child? These are just to name a few. Like many other communities, we have our negatives and with the passage of time we are trying to change and evolve. Our culture is a lot more than the drama you see on the silver screen. All of Rajasthan is not a desert. We have a city of lakes, a beautiful hill station, and the golden city Jaisalmer with sand dunes. The state thrives on tourism, which says a lot about its heritage, diversity in culture, food and beauty in architecture. And yes the desert, Jaisalmer does get a good amount of water supply, probably more than a lot of cities.
We educate our girls too. They are doing us proud in every field. Though child Marriage is an ugly reality, we are fighting to curb the evil. You'd get a befitting reply if you asked my parents, instead of me why I wasn't married off as a child. Rajput men also cook in the kitchen. My father dishes out some of the best varieties of non-veg I have ever had. They do it for the love of it. Yes, we don't dance at wedding processions, because we don't like it. Period!! But that does not mean we don't know what fun is. You have to attend a Rajput wedding to know the richness of it. Men too join in the revelry.
We are proud of our clothing, it screams of heritage, culture and elegance. It's not for nothing that breeches worn by Rajput men are famous world over and are called Jodhpurs. I can go on and on about how colourful our attire for women is. I read in a article today that guns that there are multiple guns firing in a rajput baraat ( wedding procession). I am not sure which wedding they went to, because this certainly is not the practice in most households today. It is certainly not the show that has been made out to be. The haldi ceremony is symbolic of purity of the soul and the bride is not secluded. She is dressed in a beautiful yellow poshak( not an orange saree) and she enjoys all the festivities with the family. If she has to step out of the house she wears something made of metal on her. While there are a lot of gifts involved in the wedding, no one really weighs the jewellery. What age are you living in ? 16th century?
The article also mentions the obsession with matching horoscopes and its imperative that all stars should align. Yes we do have a horoscope matching exercise but we are not obsessed about all stars aligning or as they say" chatees gun milne chaiye" . The lack of information and desire to sensationalize is a dangerous thing. Unfortunately it is what sells today. During the dances what someone has called paison ki bochaar is actually nyochavar over the person who is dancing. It surprises me how one can trivialize such beautiful practices with their choice of words.
The article also mentions the obsession with matching horoscopes and its imperative that all stars should align. Yes we do have a horoscope matching exercise but we are not obsessed about all stars aligning or as they say" chatees gun milne chaiye" . The lack of information and desire to sensationalize is a dangerous thing. Unfortunately it is what sells today. During the dances what someone has called paison ki bochaar is actually nyochavar over the person who is dancing. It surprises me how one can trivialize such beautiful practices with their choice of words.
There is more to our food than Daal Baati Churma or Laal maas. Yes, that's the best we have to offer but you have to stay in a Rajput household to know how varied our cuisine is. Television shows or movies never got it right. If only I could sue them for their lack of judgement and willingness to do a thorough research. One of the famous shows on television these days, a fabulous show in its own way but they got the language and clothes all wrong. Those Idiotic movies in the late eighties showed Rajput men in such bad light. I have known some of the finest gentlemen in my life both from family and outside.
Our brothers come across as over protective but they are our best friends. You try harming us and they will show you your place like any brother would. Most of our marriages are arranged not forced. There is a difference. I haven't had it easy in life with some things but what I am today is because I was given a brilliant education and a lot of freedom to do things. Life would be so much more beautiful if we looked at the amazing things every culture has to offer and developed on it.
