Beard or no beard, Chaudhary youths not to flout community decision

“In our village, around a year ago, youths had decided that nobody should sport a beard. The youths themselves decided to pay a fine of Rs 1,100 for violation of the rule. So, I shaved off my (French- cut) beard. And I do not regret it,” says Narsinh.

Ajmal Chaudhary (25) who works as a manager at the Nenava Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Dhanera taluka also trimmed his beard recently. “I used to grow a beard as I liked it. But when the community leaders have taken a decision, it must have been taken for our betterment. So, I have accepted the decision and trimmed off my beard. I have no objection in doing so,” says Ajmal.

On April 2, a leading socio-educational group of the Anjana-Chaudhary community in Dhanera — Shri Dhanera taluka Yuvak Pragati Mandal (SDTYPM) — took 23 decisions related to various social practices in the community. One of them has barred youths from sporting a “fashionable beard” while imposing a fine of Rs 51,000 for violation. The development has hit headlines while bringing focus on the region and the community. The SDTYPM has over 5,000 members from Dhanera tehsil and runs several educational institutions in the region.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel attended an event of the Anjana-Chaudhary community in Adalaj, Gandhinagar, and said, “People of this community have achieved great success in government/private jobs, business and education. By educating its daughters and daughters-in-law, Anjana-Chaudhary community has paved a new way in the field of education in north Gujarat.”

Anjana-Chaudhary is an important Other Backward Class (OBC) community of north Gujarat region. Its estimated population is 15 lakh with major concentration in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli and Mehsana districts. In all, Chaudhary population is found in 11 districts, 49 tehsils and over 1,250 villages of Gujarat. Their major occupation is animal husbandry and farming.

As the decision hit headlines, a number of youths like Ajmal have “voluntarily” removed their beard.

Pravin Chaudhary, a resident of Dhakha village in Dhanera, who works as a manager at a cooperative society in Dhanera, is also among the youths who has shaved off his beard. Dhakha is the most prominent village of Anjana-Chaudhary community in Dhanera.

“I used to have a full beard. But I shaved it off after this decision. The religious head of our community, Dayaram Bapu, has been saying that in Hinduism only Sadhu-Sant should keep beards. Now that our community has also announced this decision, I have shaved it off,” says Pravin.

Echoing similar views, Dinesh Chaudhary (30) from Therwada village also shaved off his beard and moustache after the community’s decision.

A Chaudhary community youth working at a trader’s shop in Nenava APMC continues to sport a beard and when asked if it was in “defiance of the diktat”, he said, “No,the beard has grown since I do not get time to shave it off due to busy working hours. Whenever I have to go to a social function, I shave it off. One has to honour the community. We can make some progress, if we are with the community. Community is like God for us.”

Notably, there has been no open defiance to the diktat from the community.

“To remain clean shaven has been a part of the culture of the Chaudhary community for years now. Even our guru, Dayaram Bapu, is clean shaven. If one wants to sport a moustache, he can do that, but a beard is not desirable. And everybody respects the community’s word,” says Sendhabhai Chaudhary, a former sarpanch of Dhakha village.

Women of the Anajana Chaudhary community are also not against the community’s decision.

Ramilaben Chaudhary (35), a primary school teacher in Dhanera, says, “When the community elders have made a rule, it must have been done with due consideration. I neither oppose nor welcome this decision.”

Primary school teacher Bheriben Chaudhary (40) from Dhanera, supports the decision. “The decision is good… it has been taken after proper discussion and not imposed unilaterally,” she said.

Shital Chaudhary (23), a professor at a self-financed college in Dhanera, is in support of the decision and also justifies the fine of Rs 51,000 for violation. “The fine has to be there. Only then the rule can be implemented,” she says.

SDTYPM leaders, however, say that the issue of community youths sporting beards was not their priority but somehow got included in the April 2 meeting and will “not be implemented at all”.

Former Dhanera MLA Joitabhai Patel, a community leader who is among those who founded SDTYPM, says, “As per Indian culture, anybody can sport a beard and there can never be a ban on it. No fine will be imposed.”

About the April 2 meeting, Joitabhai says, “Its main objectives were to rid the community of addiction (opium consumption as part of a custom during death of a community member) and to start mass marriage functions…”

“They (community youths) might have got misguided on that issue (of beard) and it got included in the meeting. But it is not a priority of our organisation. Ours is not any conservative organisation. It works for education and for social reforms,” he adds.

Joitabhai says that they will strictly implement the decision against opium consumption as a social custom during death rituals, but not the one on beard. The fine on violating the rule banning consumption of opium is Rs 1 lakh.

“If anybody is seen violating the rule (banning opium consumption), we will definitely tell them that they have crossed the Laxman Rekha of the community,” Joitabhai says.

General secretary of SDTYPM, Dinesh Chaudhary, echoes Joitabhai’s views. “As per Hindu religion, anybody can sport a beard. Our issue (in the April 2 meeting) was related to the fashionable beards… But I must say that even that issue is not of any importance to us. The issue was somehow included in the meeting… we are not going to implement it,” says Dinesh.

“Our objectives are promoting de-addiction, education and social reforms in the community,” he adds.