The Ritual of Bhaat in Rajasthan Sparks Debate, Extravagant Wedding Rituals Good for Gender Equality?

Rajasthan never stops amusing people with its long-held traditions and culture. Significant ceremonies take place during the wedding. One of the most loved moments for a family during the wedding ceremony is Bhaat. It is a ceremony celebrated by the bride and groom's family where the maternal uncle of both sides offers gifts. These gifts include the exchange of jewelry, clothes, and sweets. Many times, the maternal uncle has given money as a form of gift to their sisters. Many people across India consider this to be a process of dowry but in reality, it is not forced on anyone and the maternal uncles give Bhaat out of respect and love towards their sisters.

Bhaat Ceremony is a cultural preservation of Rajasthan where they believe women are a crucial part of the society and they should not be reliant on anyone for their needs. Hence, Bhaat involves a lot of gifts along with money so that the sisters can meet some of their needs. Recently a video was shared on social media which uplifted the ritual of Bhaat. In the video, it was seen that the maternal uncle of the bride was donating Jewellery, clothes, cars, electronics, and money for the sister. The gifts are directly given to the Groom’s family and the bride also has ownership. Many times, the rituals are set on both bride and groom's families so that gifts can be exchanged for the maternal uncle to towards the bride or groom.

There are a series of events that take place right before the Bhaat ceremony. Firstly, Bhaat Nyota is followed when the mother of the bride and groom go to the maternal uncle's place for the invitation. The next stage is Bhatteesi Jhelna where the mother of the bride and groom go to the parental home of the other party to invite the parents and brothers to the wedding. Lastly, a Bhaat is hired who is commonly a singer or a voice behind the songs. He is responsible for speaking aloud about various gifts provided to the bride by the groom.

While this is an extreme progressive action made by the people of Rajasthan. The primary question remains the same. Will all these enhance gender equality? As Bhaat is not celebrated just by a specific party and both, the bride and groom are responsible for Bhaat, this directly slams the dowry culture of India. Bhaat is not dowry but a form of blessing from both, the groom and bride side. This also uplifts the changing societal norms and allows the people to witness the form of equality followed by the culture of Rajasthan.

Maternal uncles prefer giving all they have to their sisters and brothers as a form of love. However, the exchange of money and gifts at a wedding is not legal in India. Any suspected individuals involved in dowry can be charged under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961. Rajasthan has been a part of India’s defense strategies where Kings and Queens have fought Mughals to save land in India. With more such cultural preserves, Rajasthan has earned the reputation of being one of the leading tourist attractions.