1288 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
a girl from any of the thirty to forty villages, where people of my mother’s subcaste live. That is to say, I cannot find a bride for my son from amongst a hundred neighbouring villages or so.
Shri A. C. Shukla : Is it a healthy practice or otherwise ?
Ch. Ranbir Singh : I never laid any claim to this effect. It is none of my intention to annoy him in the way the Hon. Doctor did. Unlike him I cannot dare utter anything unpleasant things. In contrast with the big personality of the Hon. Dr. Ambedkar I am but an humble Member.
Shri Radhelal Vyas (Madhya Bharat) : But you are also Jat.
Ch. Ranbir Singh : Of course, I am but not a Sikh Jat like Sardar Bhopinder Singh Man. I do not want to enter into any controversy— and thereby cause offence to anyone—as to whether our custom is better or other’s or whether or not this measure is of any use. What I want is simply to apprise you of our customs which; for instance, prevent me from getting my son married in about as many as one hundred to one hundred twenty villages. How under such a state of affairs, can those women residing in small towns or even in big cities, be supposed to have any real estimate of the extent of hardships and difficulties which we are subjected to while facing such issues, because for them marriage is no more than a mere routine affair that could be performed from one mohalla to the other ?
Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava : There is no difference between Hindu Law and your law in so far as this matter is concerned.
Ch. Ranbir Singh : There may not be any difference in the laws but the developments do vary. According to our customs we cannot establish matrimonial connections among some certain gotras. None can dare go against such a custom. Even the most backward person— under the present social structure such a man is bound to be treated as such, although in future he may be called progressive—cannot possibly take such a step. In fact none has got so much courage, so to say. But what you are doing today is, if I may say so, simply enabling such a man, by law, to take such a step.
Shri A. C. Shukla : What is it that the hon. Member wants ?
Ch. Ranbir Singh : I am not going to say what I want. I would, on the other hand, only want to apprise the House of the various customs prevailing. That is why I am pleading for Shri Bhatt’s amendment to be accepted. Let developments be closely watched during the next ten years, the truth will express itself in the right manner. If our course of action would be correct you would, I am sure, change over to our side or, otherwise, we would do the same thing.