The Rajasthan village where a goddess guards the trees

In Gola village of Ajmer district, a centuries-old belief in goddess Kalki has preserved a dense green forest and stable water levels, even as the surrounding region turns drier.Ajmer, Rajasthan: “I grew up in Jethana village in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, where water was never scarce,” said Geeta Gujjar (29), who married in 2001. “So when I married in Gola, everyone told me it was a dry village. But the first time they took me to the Kalka Temple, I was shocked…I had never seen such a dense, lush forest.”Like her, many who come from her parents’ village are surprised to find a thick green forest in Gola, in the Pisanghan block.Temple in the Gola village which is surrounded by forest (Photo - Kahitiz Gaur, 101Reporters)Located opposite the Aravalli ranges, Gola is a semi-arid village with hard, rocky soil beneath the surface, salty groundwater, and temperatures that swing from 42°C in summer to 5°C in winter.Yet a 700-bigha (175-hectare) forest of Khejri (the state tree), Neem, Pipal and Babul thrives here, protected by a long-standing tradition of never carrying an axe into the forest. As one approaches, the air turns noticeably cooler and birdsong fills the area. In some stretches, the canopy is so dense that sunlight barely filters through. “The smell of neem leaves is enchanting. In peak summer, it feels like an oasis. I believe the Goddess herself looks after this place,” Gujjar added.Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows wide variation in Ajmer’s peak temperatures and rainfall over the last decade. The highest July temperature in this period was recorded in 2012. Temperatures then dipped for a few years before rising again in 2018, staying above 40°C in 2018, 2019, and 2020.A report by the Rajasthan Ground Water Department, Ground Water Level Scenario in Rajasthan, 2022, noted that Gola maintained its groundwater levels better than nearby villages that year. The state irrigation department, which kept records of all 27 lakes and ponds in the district, issued a report on their water levels every year before the monsoon arrived. The department stated that even the level of Pushkar pond, a religious site, fell to 2 to 3 feet, while Gola pond in the forest of Gola village never went deeper than 5 feet, even in the hot summers.Villagers trace this resilience to their long-held cultural practice. “When we were born, we were told this is the tradition our forefathers followed, so we follow it too,” said Himmat Singh Rathore. “Everyone knows the axe is not allowed. There is no written instruction but everyone obeys it.”The belief stems from a local legend of deity Kalki, who is said to roam the forest. According to Rathore, she once grew angry when a villager carried an axe and left the land barren. “This is why our land is not good for cultivation,” he said. While the forest is not used for livelihood, it provides shade during harsh summers and helps recharge groundwater in the semi-arid region.Protected by cultureGola has about 20 hectares of pond area protected by an anicut system. “The pond is maintained by the Gram Panchayat and holds clean water. It does not dry up even in summers,” said Ramchandra Rar, Additional Chief Engineer of the Public Health Engineering department. Sarpanch Suman Kanwar (38) added, “Even the branches that dry out are collected but not burnt. No tree has been cut in the last 20 years since I came here after marriage.”During the first full moon of the monsoon, the village celebrates Haryali Purnima, a thanksgiving festival for goddess Kalki. Women sing traditional songs in new clothes with veils, men wear fresh turbans and carry sticks, and artisans bring their crafts to sell. Children ride swings. The festival reaffirms the idea that greenery is sacred and is celebrated in the popular song Haryali ma rahti Kalka mata (The goddess resides in greenery).The forest also sets Gola apart from its surroundings. While much of Pisanghan block has turned into a quartz and phosphorus mining area, Gola still shelters foxes, occasional leopards, and a large variety of birds. Villagers speak of the cuckoo’s calls bringing “flashes of happiness” in summer, and the monsoon peacocks that gather across the forest.“Our elders told us that when our ancestors were roaming for a place to settle, they reached here tired after crossing the Aravallis,” said Durga Bai Kumawat (72). “The summers were harsh, so they prayed to Mata Kalki. She brought out this forest in such arid land. That is why our family settled here.”There is no scientific study yet on this tradition, but its effects are visible. “This forest is our belief and our culture,” said Rathore. “Because of it, the groundwater is maintained and the anicut pond holds water through all twelve months.” Nearby ponds, Kesholav, Govindgarh, Dantra and even the Luni river, dry up in summer, villagers say, but the Gola pond does not.Residents say the taboo around cutting wood has held strong for generations. “Even before LPG, when we used firewood, no one collected dead branches from the Kalka Mata forest,” said Manna Devi Meghwanshi. “My mother-in-law taught me this, and I am passing it to my daughter-in-law.”Last monsoon, the villagers expanded the forest by planting Neem, Babul and Pipal on 120 bighas of adjoining government land. “We got the saplings from the forest department,” said Sarpanch Kanwar. After the rains, a three-member panchayat team checks which saplings have taken root.The forest around the temple, it is a dense green forest with stable water levels (Photo - Kshitiz Gaur, 101Reporters)Thriving ecosystemProfessor Praveen Mathur, former Dean of Environment Studies at Maharashi Dayanand Saraswati University, who has studied bird migration in arid zones, visited Gola in 2021. “It was June, and the temperature inside the forest was 2-4 degrees lower,” he said. “There were native birds like the Indian peafowl, red-vented bulbul, Indian robin, and rose-ringed parakeet nesting there… species that are rare even in Ajmer. Villagers have managed to preserve this forest purely through tradition.”On the main road to Pisanghan, wood dealer Ramdhar Jangid sells coal and legally sourced wood. “I have never taken wood from the Kalki Mata forest,” he said. “It is forbidden. She is our deity from generations.”Officials posted in the area say Gola stands out. “When I joined the block, I was astonished to see the forest,” said Shyam Lal Chachwa, Assistant Development Officer, Zila Parishad. “We planted more trees with villagers’ help. They are eager participants.” Assistant Engineer Tejpal Gujjar added, “In my previous posting in Silora block, people were not happy with plantation drives. This place is different.”Nearby villages are beginning to draw inspiration. “These traditions protect the pond and the forest,” said Kamla Devi, Sarpanch of Lamana. “We want to start similar practices in our village.”Rajasthan is often pictured as a place where women walk kilometres with pots of water, a land defined by heatwaves, droughts and desert stretches. But patches like Gola show another reality, green belts sustained not by natural abundance, but by cultural traditions of environmental care. These practices, villagers say, do more than protect forests: they help slow the pace of climate stress.This project is supported by the Internews Earth Journalism Network with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)Cover photo - Way towards the Gola village forest (Photo - Kshitiz Gaur, 101Reporters)

Absonding accused, retraumatised survivors: A verdict after 32 years in Ajmer serial rape case

Three trials were held in the infamous serial rape and blackmail case of 1992, meaning survivors had to testify each time, with evidences being resubmitted and re-examined. Additional Director of Prosecution, Virendra Singh Rathore speaks about the challenges in arriving at this long-overdue verdict. Ajmer, Rajasthan: She was gangraped at the age of 18, but the verdict in the case came when she turned 50. By then, she was residing alone. Her husband had divorced her. The last time she saw her son was when he was 10 months old. Now he resides in some other country. She manages her food by renting her house, the storeroom of which is her home now.There were 19 accused in the Ajmer blackmail rape case of May 1992, wherein around 100 school and college-going girls were blackmailed and raped. Eighteen accused were tried in the court, while one is still absconding. A red corner notice has been issued against him. Initially, the gang lured a girl, took her to their farmhouse outside Ajmer, raped her, clicked her naked photos, and forced her to bring her friends with her. The case took a political turn as one of the accused was Nafees Chisty, the then president of Ajmer Youth Congress.The FIR in the case was registered at Ganj Police Station under sections 292, 254, 376, 120B on May 30, 1992, and later more sections were added. The first chargesheet was filed on September 3, 1992, against Kailash Soni, Harish Tolani, Faharooq Chisty, Ishrat Ali, Moinullahdin alias Sultan Ilahabadi, Pravez Ansari, Naseem alias Tarzan, Purshotam (committed suicide on February 2, 1998), Mahesh Lodhani, Sayeed Anwar Chisty, Shamshu Chisty alias Merodona and Zahoor Chisty. The second chargesheet was filed against Nafees Chisty, Naseem Chisty, Iqbal Bhati and Saleem Chisty on June 23, 2001, but they all absconded during the trial. Sohail Chisty, Jameer Hussain and Almas Maharaj alias Babli were absconding from the very first day. Nafees was arrested in 2003, Iqbal in 2005, Saleem and Hussain in 2012, and Sohail in 2018. Thereafter, a third chargesheet was filed in 2018 with the same allegations against Sohail and Hussain and trial was started. Maharaj is still absconding and a red corner notice has been issued against him.The first verdict came on May 18, 1998, in which 12 accused were sentenced.  The second came on February 1, 2007, in which all were declared absconding. The third verdict came on August 20, 2024, in which the accused who were chargesheeted in 2001 were also sentenced, including two (Sohail and Jameer) who were charged in 2018. “In the last trial, 16 victims were called, of which only six reached the court, and three of them turned hostile. The prosecution had to work hard to bring this verdict,” Additional Director of Prosecution Virendra Singh Rathore told 101Reporters. Rathore fought the third trial and secured life imprisonment for the six accused who had absconded. Rathore said that the team of prosecution worked day and night. “As for the first verdict of 1998, the Supreme Court on December 22, 2003, reduced the sentence of four accused to 10 years and reverted the sentence of one accused to the lower court.”According to Rathore, the major task was to bring the victims to court as now those rape survivors have become mothers and grandmothers. “They did not want to be identified as rape survivors of the 1992 Ajmer blackmail scandal, and therefore they had to be called and re-called, convinced, and brought one by one to the court to record their statements,” he said.Rathore added that 32 rape survivors were identified in 1992, but only 16 could be retraced for the third trial and the police could reach only six of them. “They did not want to re-appear in the court fearing that they will be identified, though it was an in-camera proceeding. Police had the task to convince the 16 identified victims to reach the court. However, only six could be convinced, and three of them later turned hostile.”“The difference between the two previous trials and the third trial was that it started after 30 years, which means we had to start a search for witnesses and recreate the scene of crime again in the court with the same evidence such as bed sheets, DNA reports, medical reports etc.”“The rape survivors who came to record their statements were brave. It was painful for them to narrate their stories repeatedly when those accused were standing in front of them smiling,” he added.Rathore could have appointed any other prosecutor in this case, but being the additional director of prosecution, he took up the case himself. “I belong to Ajmer. At the time of this incident, I was a law student and knew about it... The two trials were managed by the previous public prosecutors and when the third trial was initiated by the court, the file was transferred to me…When the verdict came, I felt that the aim of my life was completed by delivering justice that was so hard to come.” Dalbir Singh Fojdar, the then station house officer of Dargah Police Station and now posted in Jaipur, told 101Reporters, “It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that summons were issued. Prosecution directed that we bring these witnesses to the court. Their addresses had changed, but I along with a special team started tracking them down. At last, we found some of them. Police protection was given for them to reach the court,” Fojdar recalled.He further said, “It was like working hard to provide justice to those rape survivors. When we identified them as witnesses, one of them said that she is not the one whom police were looking for and that her name was not tallying with the one mentioned in the summons.” Recalling another incident, Fojdar added, “We reached the house of one of the witnesses in Jaipur in plain clothes and her granddaughter opened the doors of the house for us. Her daughter-in-law brought us water to drink, and asked the reason for our arrival. We told her that long ago, her mother-in-law had lost her money purse and now we have found it, so we wanted to talk to her. When the rape survivor came and we stated the real reason, she started crying with folded hands and pleaded us to not destroy her family.”Quoting one of the rape survivor’s words, Fojdar said it was like a panic attack for her. “She told me that she feared the in-laws of her daughter would come to know about the case. However, she gathered courage because she wanted the accused to be punished,” he said.Rathore said it was of utmost importance that the identity of victims remained a secret, considering the social stigma involved. “Rape survivors had to come to court to register their statement a third time because the advocate of the accused wanted to cross examine them, and without that the statement is not maintainable… The law says that the testimony of the witness should be in front of the accused so that their advocate can cross them to get the truth before the court.”Rathore added that it is not a flaw in the law or its process, but technicalities that the accused wanted to take advantage of. “We had to bring again and again those bed sheets and pillows that the police seized after registering the FIR on May 30, 1992,” added Rathore. On the issue of the accused absconding, he said that according to police and law agencies, some devotees of Ajmer dargah had helped the accused by arranging hideouts at different places. In his order sentencing eight accused to life imprisonment, Ranjan Singh, Special Judge of the designated POCSO court number 2 of Ajmer, kept the provision to compensate the victims and directed the District Legal Services Authority to deposit Rs 7 lakh in the bank accounts of each victim in the case within 30 days. The judge, in his order, said, “Though the pain of the victims in this case will not end, some pain will be subsided.”The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on each accused, “so that the fear in the people and in the society related to such types of crimes is eliminated and those related persons or any people in the society have faith in the judicial process.”(Cover photo - AI-generated/Canva)

When a woman impersonated the rape survivor to facilitate acquittal of her father

The case led to a landmark direction that the statement of the prosecutrix will be recorded in cases under Section 376 or 354 of the IPC, only after due certification by a medical doctor or the investigating officer concernedBaran, Rajasthan: On January 11, 2011, a rape accused reached his village in Baran district of Rajasthan for celebrations, after the additional district and session judge of the fast track court acquitted him. The rape survivor, a Dalit woman who is the daughter-in-law of the accused, did not know about his acquittal until March 26, 2014, when she reached her husband's village from her brother's house.A shocked victim approached the district and session court of Baran the same day, and figured out that someone else had appeared posing as her to record her statement and that she had been declared hostile in the court. The then additional district judge, Kishan Chand Gujjar, was transferred to the district and session court of Baran in March 2014 and had just joined duty when the woman appeared in the court, and said, “How have you bailed the accused when the High Court of Rajasthan directed that bail will be only after the recording of the statement of the victim?”Now retired, Gujjar recalled that he called for the file and found that the statement of the victim had already been recorded in the court, and she had turned hostile, leading to the court's acquittal of the accused. “The court already passed the orders, and I could not revert or do anything in that matter. Still, I called the deputy superintendent of police and sought a forensic lab test of the thumb impression taken when the statement of the ‘victim’ was recorded, to match that of the real victim,” Gujjar told 101Reporters.The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report revealed that the thumb impression was over-inked and contained two impressions, making it impossible to determine whether the thumb impression was that of the victim or not. “This was a challenging situation for me as the victim took an oath on her son that she had never come to record her statement in the court,” he added. The judge called the investigating officer, who was of deputy SP rank, and he said that he had come to know that there was a compromise between the parties, and the victim had taken money from the accused.ADJ Kishan Chand Gujjar who took this challenging case (Photo - Kshitiz Gaur, 101Reporters)‘Justice was not done in the court’“It was hard on me because by seeing the victim, I knew she was speaking the truth, but the law says that once the verdict is out, the same court cannot do anything.” He added, “Then I sent the case for reference to the High Court of Rajasthan with my observation, because I felt that justice was not done in the court.”The rape survivor had not hired any lawyer or taken help from legal aid as the additional public prosecutor (APP) was contesting the case on the state's behalf. After the incident, the husband of the rape survivor did not help her. So she went to the house of her brother Umeed Singh (42), who helped her lodge a complaint of rape at Kasba Thana Police Station in Baran district on August 25, 2010.When the case reached the Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan HC, Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma was also astonished, but the challenge arose as to how the court could identify the rape victim recording her statement.Later, on September 16, 2015, the HC quashed the orders that acquitted the accused and directed a retrial. It also issued an advisory for the identification of victims coming to courts for recording their statements. “In all the cases relating to Section 376 or 354 IPC, the statement of the prosecutrix will be recorded by the courts below only after due certification by the medical doctor concerned, who examines the prosecutrix, or the I.O. concerned. However, it is made clear that this direction will not be applicable in the cases where the statement of the prosecutrix has already been recorded and the trial is going on,” the HC directed. Plugging the loopholeBefore this judgment, the APP used to identify the victim who was giving a statement in the court. The process was that the court would issue a summons, which the police would serve to the witness, who would then have to approach the APP. In this particular case, APP Aslam Bharti had reasoned that it was the husband of the rape survivor who had approached him with the court summons and sought a date to record the rape survivor's statement in the court. So, he naturally believed that it was the real rape survivor.Kishan Chand Gujjar said that he gave the order to arrest the accused and take him into judicial custody until the statement of the victim was recorded. The retrial came up, and the victim came to the court and registered her statement, which was corroborated by the medical report of the doctors and the DNA report collected at the place of the crime. “Looking at the evidence, I sentenced him to seven years in jail,” Gujjar said. Gujjar said that he further directed the investigation officer of the case to file an FIR for personification and perjury. He also directed that the thumb impression of every woman belonging to the family of the accused be taken to check who had come to give evidence in court during the previous trial. In any witness statement, a thumb impression is taken only of illiterate witnesses. The literate people would sign the statement.“I personally requested the FSL team to check whose thumb impression matched the one on the statement previously taken in court.” And there was this twist in the whole affair. The thumb impression was that of the daughter of the accused.The case starkly illustrates how easily the system can be manipulated when safeguards are weak — a survivor’s voice was silenced through impersonation, officials relied on assumptions, and justice was derailed for years. It took the persistence of the victim, the intervention of an alert judge, and a landmark directive from the High Court to plug the loophole. Yet, the episode is a reminder that in the absence of strict verification and accountability, the justice process itself can be weaponised against those it is meant to protect.This story was originally published as a part of Crime and Punishment project in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.Cover Photo - Representative image/ AI-generated using Canva

In Rajasthan, Dalit youth assert their right to dignity in wedding processions

Dalit youth in Ajmer are standing firm, and are even going to great lengths, to ensure that their grooms are allowed to ride a horse to their weddings, challenging regressive caste norms and the prospect of violenceAjmer, Rajasthan: In December of last year, it was decided that Lokesh Bakoliya (27) and Aruna Khorwal (25) would get married in January. The ceremony was set to take place in their home in Lavera village of Srinagar block in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, and the preparations started in full swing. Bakoliya, a Master's graduate in Hindi from Government College Ajmer, planned to reach the wedding venue on horseback, as is the tradition in most Hindu weddings. For Bakoliya–a member of the Dalit community–riding a horse was more than just a ritual. It was an act of defiance against the centuries-old caste discrimination that denied his community such a simple privilege. The idea that Bakoliya would ride a horse during his baraat or wedding procession was met with resistance from the upper caste community. Even some members of his own community feared backlash for breaking caste norms. Initially, Bakoliya’s father-in-law, Narayan Khorwal, was also against the idea. It was the bride who insisted that they continue with the celebration as planned and that her father go to the police for protection. Ramesh Bansal, Secretary of Manav Vikas Avam Adhikar Kendra Sanstha, a non-government organisation working for protecting the rights of the Dalit community, said that, unsurprisingly, certain members of the upper caste communities threatened Narayan against allowing the groom to ride a horse to his wedding. In Lavera, a village of 3,000, only four to five families belong to the Dalit community, making them vulnerable to caste-based pressures. “Worried, the Dalit community asked Narayan to continue following their village’s tradition wherein a Dalit groom arrives at the wedding venue on foot,” Bansal added. According to Bansal, the strongmen descend as a mob to reinforce the caste discriminatory practices in the village. Many also carry arms and other weapons. This is not unique to Ajmer–similar tensions exist across pockets of Rajasthan and the rest of the country.In February, upper-caste men attacked a Dalit groom for riding a horse for his wedding in Rajasthan’s Jalore district. They beat him up, pulled him off the horse, and even took the horse away. In November 2021, a Dalit groom’s baraat was pelted with stones despite heavy police presence in Kerodi village in Jaipur Rural district. In 2022 in Nagaur, upper caste members halted a wedding procession and pulled down a groom from his horse.Police interventionBansal told 101Reporters that with improvement in the financial and educational conditions of the Dalit community, many educated youths are actively challenging the discriminatory practices. “In Bakoliya’s case we approached the police and they called a meeting at Hatai with the sarpanch, heads of other castes, Narayan and the groom's father Mohan Bakoliya,” he said. During the meeting, the upper caste members decreed that Bakoliya’s baraat be not allowed to enter the village and instead take an outer route. When they refused to reconsider, Bakoliya approached Ajmer Superintendent of Police Vandita Rana. Deadlock prevailed after another round of meetings, and the police decided to provide protection to the groom and the two families during the festivities to prevent any untoward incident.  Heavy police protection was deployed during the wedding procession of the groom, Prakash Jangid (Photos sourced by Kshitiz Gaur, 101Reporters) The bride, Khorwal, recalls, “I wanted to be sure that there would be no dispute on my wedding day. I asked my father to ask the police for protection in writing.” On January 21, Bakoliya’s baraat moved through the village in the presence of 400 Rajasthan police personnel, and the wedding concluded peacefully. Long road aheadAccording to a Rajasthan police personnel, as recently as 10 years ago, the older generation, though dissatisfied, would not raise their voice against the age-old oppressive practices. “But now the Dalit grooms want to exercise their right and seek the help of police,” said Manisha Kumari, Additional Public Prosecutor in Ajmer's District and Sessions court.In December 2024, in Nagaur district—just three hours from Ajmer—Dalit groom Prakash Jangid too sought police protection to ensure he could ride a horse during his wedding. On December 6, his baraat proceeded amid heavy police presence in Gudha Jodha village. “I was scared of chaos unfolding... I thought even my relatives would turn against me, but when I saw my son riding a horse, I felt a sense of relief,” Jangid’s father, Kachrulal Jangid told 101Reporters. Similarly, another matter is reported from the Banaskantha district of Gujarat on February 7 this year. In Gadalwada village, a Dalit groom wrote to the Superintendent of Police on January 22, expressing concern about the potential disruptions during his wedding and saying that some members of the upper caste community have issued threats against him. In response, the police deployed around 150 personnel to ensure the baraat’s security. To support the groom and stand against caste-based discrimination, politician and activist Jignesh Mevani also joined the procession. Speaking to reporters, Mevani said, “Banaskantha remains a socially-backward region with a large population of Dalits. That’s why education and equal rights are crucial.” Former Station House Officer of Ajmer’s Srinagar police station, Harish Choudhary said, “In such sensitive cases, we call a meeting to solve the matter with public consensus… In the case of a deadlock, we offer protection to the groom.” SP Rana agreed, saying, “Police are with the law. Police act fast whenever any incident of discrimination is reported and take appropriate action.” Bansal, however, added that there is still a long way to go. Often, the threats dissipate after the wedding, but the sense of fear among the community doesn't. Sensing that his family and community were still ill at ease, Kachrulal approached the collector after the wedding to request that the police be at hand if any escalation was to happen. The beat officer at the police station made rounds of the village for several days after that.Edited by Tanya ShrivastavaCover Photo - Groom Lokesh Bakoliya being accompanied by police as he rides through the village (Photo sourced by Kshitiz Gaur, 101Reporters)

A tale of two cities: In Ajmer, literacy plays critical role in vaccine acceptance

Even as residents with better awareness throng vaccination centres, rumours are scaring away people in conservative areas from taking the ‘death jab'.Ajmer: That poor or lack of education makes people gullible to rumours is evident from the difference in approach between the people in two neighbouring Muslim-dominated areas in Ajmer, Rajasthan towards the vaccination drives launched by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19.The Taragarh area, the location of the ruins of an 8th Century fort, is a tourist hub and home to around 2,500 people. However, only 49 persons (about 2%) turned up to take the vaccination against coronavirus despite much persuasion by the local administration and religious leaders. The reason: A note in Urdu going around that said that whoever took the vaccine shots would die within two years.In sharp contrast is the scenario in the Dargah area, which is situated at the foothills of Taragarh, and is home to a population of around 55,000 people. Here, 12,785 people (around 23% of the population) took the vaccine during the first drive, and more people are thronging the vaccination centres at Anderkot and JLN Hospital every day.Failed campaignAfter several cases of people showing symptoms such as fever and cough were reported from Taragarh in April and May, the local administration launched a campaign in the locality to spread awareness about the spread of COVID-19 and persuade people to take vaccination against the virus. Municipal Corporator Shahjahan Bibi coordinated the vaccination camp held in Taragarh on May 31 with the help of the dargah committee of Meera Saheb. “After around 400 persons registered their names for the vaccination by the third week of May, we had requested the Block Level Officer (BLO) to conduct a camp on May 31. But, only 49 people turned up for vaccination,” said Haji Mohammad Yunus, a member of the dargah committee. “The people were scared off by the rumour and refused to take the vaccine,” said Wahid Khan, another member of the committee. “The main reason for this aversion to vaccination is the lack of education and awareness which is making the people vulnerable to rumours and superstitions,” said Sayed Rab Nawaz, a retired forest officer living in Taragarh.(Inset) The densely populated Taragarh area, situated by the historic 8th Century hilltop fort (Picture courtesy: Kshitiz Gaur)After the vaccination drive failed, Shahjahan Bibi has started a fresh campaign to spread awareness about the benefits of vaccination. “We are going door to door, asking people not to pay heed to rumours. We are urging them to take the vaccine,” Bibi said.Meanwhile, in Dargah On the contrary, the people of the Dargah area showed more awareness about the pandemic. “We have banned all public gatherings and even closed the dargah of Khwaja Garib Nawaz Chisty. We are now urging all people to take the vaccine,” said Sayed Nadeem Ghani Chisty, a Khadim (priest) in Ajmer Dargah. At the Anderkot vaccination centre, 12,785 people took vaccination on May 31 alone. The residents who could not receive the vaccine from here are now thronging other centres in the city. “People in Amderkot, Dargah Bazaar and Nallah Bazaar areas are better educated and understand the importance of vaccination,” said Daniyal Chisty, another khadim of Ajmer Dargah.The Ajmer Dargah, the shrine of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty, is known for educating people about communal harmony, brotherhood and social ethics. During the first wave of coronavirus last year, several COVID-19 deaths were reported in the densely populated Dargah Bazaar area, and a few prominent khadims were among the casualties. However this year, thanks to stricter compliance to the guidelines, the situation is better. The dewan of the Ajmer Dargah is making regular appeals to people to strictly follow the guidelines of social distancing and offer prayers at home. “We understand the importance of social distancing. Even during Eid, the people here chose to stay at home to avoid gathering in a crowd,” said Mohammad Ali, a resident of Patti Katla. The dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty remained closed after lockdown was imposed mid-April (Picture courtesy: Kshitiz Gaur)Contrast in education levelsAt the time of the 2011 Census, Taragarh, which is situated on the hilltop at a height of 800 feet, had only one senior higher secondary school. The literacy rate in the area was 65%.  Despite rapid growth in population and the government upgrading the school in 2015, the enrolment numbers are low. The livelihood of the people of Taragarh, the majority of whom belong to the Shia community, is mainly dependent on the visitors to the dargah of Meera Saheb. Many of the elders serve as priests in the dargah. Most of the youth in this area drop out of school at an early stage. Some of them practise priesthood while most others either operate taxis or run shops in the foothills. A resident, Amanna Bano (52), said many youths of Taragarh earn money by ferrying devotees from the dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti to the dargah of Meera Saheb in their taxis.Sayeed Usman (45), another resident of Taragarh, said people of the locality were quite conservative and followed traditions and scriptures strictly. They lived in a close group and start working at an early age. Rumours, such as the one that triggered fear about vaccinations, were usually circulated first in religious groups and hence, the people believe them blindly, he said. Unlike Taragarh, the Dargah area is home to Sunni Muslims and the area is located closer to the main city. Here, most of the families encourage their youths to pursue higher education and become advocates, doctors or school teachers. A large number of residents are also engaged in restaurant or handicraft businesses. The literacy rate in this area, which was 69% at the time of the 2011 Census, is now much higher.Bilal Chisti of Khadim Mohalla said his mother was a teacher at a missionary school and his sister had completed post-graduation. Even though many people in the area practised priesthood, they gave importance to educating the youth as it was a key criterion in deciding marriage alliances. Because of the higher levels of education and awareness, people of Dargah area did not fall for rumours and strictly followed the guidelines issued by the government regarding vaccination, he said. Doctor Ramlal Choudhary, the district in-charge of vaccinations, also said that the women in the Dargah area came out in good number for vaccination drives such as pulse polio, and such campaigns usually had 100% results in this area.

COVID-19: Superstitions, traditions fuelling spread in rural Rajasthan

From refusing vaccinations to reaching out to quacks in hope of a cure, rural Rajasthan is rife with superstition. Ajmer: Unfazed by the increasing spread of COVID-19 and related deaths, the rural folks in Rajasthan are relying on superstitions and crude practices of quackery, instead of health experts and medical help. Worse still, many people are even against vaccinations because they believe that the pandemic is a curse from God. Many others are influenced by misinformation. On May 27, Dhapu Bai Gemati (70) of Baghelo Ka Kheda village in Bhilwara district hid from her family for five hours after slipping away from the vaccination centre in Kiratpura. Passerbys, who initially thought they had stumbled upon a dead body, found her hiding in the bushes. When they discovered her, she begged with folded hands asking not to be vaccinated, claiming it would kill her. She was shaking with fear when the sarpanch came and talked her into going back home. Her relatives said they will bring her back for vaccination after some counselling.Even as the people of Dantra Dhani village in Bhilwara district believe that hanging shoes at the façades of their houses will ward off the “evil spirits”, those in Lachchipura village of Ajmer are keeping campfires alive throughout the night to please their village deities in hope that they would protect their lives. Similar is the situation in Nagaur, Bhilwara, and Tonk districts of the state, where the villagers infected with COVID-19 are turning to priests and quacks. Because of the dearth, or even complete lack, of medical facilities in some of these areas, the administration is unable to create awareness among these people about seeking proper medical help in case of diseases.In Bhilwara district's Dantra village, residents are hanging shoes in front of their homes to ward off evil spirits. (Picture courtesy of Kshitiz Gaur)Also, the faith in traditions is so deep-rooted in the minds of people that all efforts by the district administrations to prevent them from gathering for rituals and functions are proving fruitless. In Sagariya village of Bhilwara district, more than 100 persons gathered in the first week of May to perform the last rites of an 80-year-old man, defying the lockdown and flouting restrictions that specify that no more than 20 persons should be present at a funeral. “The people fled when they saw us. We seized 15 vehicles from the spot,” said Bhagirath Singh, the SHO of Shahpura police station. However, the relatives of the deceased once again defied orders and organised a community feast later, which was also attended by a large gathering as a mark of unity.A similar incident was reported from Ajmer, where some members of the Koli community organised a grand funeral in the city’s Dhola Bhata area for a person who died of COVID-19. This, when on average, four COVID-19–related deaths are reported from the area every day. “We had appealed to the people to desist from organising functions or rituals that involve the gathering of people, but in vain. Hence, we have requested the authorities to take stringent steps to prevent such gatherings,” said Lalit Verma, a former corporator from Dhola Bhata. Verma said the district administration and the police should strictly enforce the state government order banning marriage functions till June 30. “It is a major challenge to prevent marriages held in villages on the occasion of the Akha Teej. A large number of weddings are held in May because the month is considered auspicious for marriages. We have taken steps to prevent such functions and avoid gathering of crowds,” said Chinmaya Gopal, the district collector of Tonk, who has ordered around 60 families who had planned marriage functions to cancel their plans.A wedding in Ajmer amidst COVID-19 (Picture courtesy of Kshitiz Gaur)“Social gatherings and marriage functions are the major sources of COVID-19 spread in the rural regions of Nagaur. Many positive cases from these areas have been referred to our hospital,” said Doctor Anil Jain, superintendent of JLN Hospital in Ajmer.A major hurdle before the Rajasthan government in containing the spread of COVID-19 is the deep-rooted traditions and superstitions in the minds of rural people.  In Dantra village of Bhilwara district, a tribal area with only 3,000 residents, 28 COVID-19–related deaths were reported in a span of 30 days. Yet, the villagers refuse to take vaccinations against the virus — they believe that hanging shoes on the facades of their houses would keep the “evil spirits” at bay, and that quacks, who often use crude practices such as searing their skins with hot iron rods, could cure the disease. “We have launched an awareness programme and are trying to convince people to take medical help,” said CL Sharma, the sub-divisional officer of Asind block of Bhilwara. The district administration has so far sealed three clinics run by quacks in Pushkar town and Bhilwara. Raids to nab more such practitioners are on in Jahajpur, Mandal, Badnore, and Asind areas. In the first half of May alone, eight COVID-19 patients, who were initially treated by quacks, were admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital at Bhilwara.Even as the government machinery and the medical fraternity wage a war to protect people from contracting the virus, some religious leaders are putting more hurdles in their way. One Prem Agarwal at the Siddheshwar Peeth of Jhanki Wale Balaji recently told the devotees that reciting Hanuman Chalisa 11,000 times within 15 days could contain the spread of the virus in Rajasthan. This has prompted thousands of people across the state to congregate at temples and homes to chant the Chalisa, thus increasing the risk of more people contracting the virus.A graveyard in Somalpur village in Ajmer is fast filling up even as wedding celebrations continue unabated. (Picture courtesy of Kshitiz Gaur)