Superstitions and government apathy plagues Shankarnagar

Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh): India, considered as a country with diverse culture and traditions, still seems to have a widespread problem with superstitions. One such example is a remote village of Shankarnagar, situated 20 km from the district headquarters in Raigaon panchayat, where men are considered impotent if his family has less than five children!

Even after decades of independence the village has remained aloof from the mainstream and has been struggling with availability of basic amenities.

The government's apathy accompanied by illiteracy has sadly enabled the village to be stuck with several conservative traditions, even today.

The settlement at Shankarnagar village began around 40 years ago and currently hosts 250 people from the Gosai community.

The figures essentially boil down to 45 families who have more than 5 children, owing to the superstitions and beliefs, prevalent in what is essentially a nomadic district.

This has further contributed to the increase in number of children in the village as men do not want to be associated with the tag of 'impotence' and women are against the notion of contraceptives or sterilisation, all to avoid the curious glances of the residents.

On the other hand, the lack of an Anganwadi centre nor a primary school has been complicating the issues further, with emphasis on the lack of health facilities.

Though, an insignificant number of the children are pursuing their education at the Government Primary School in Raigaon, their education stops at fifth grade and no further.

According to the school's teacher Kiran Vani, about 20 children from Shankarnagar village go to school and there has been a decline in the already low number.

Meanwhile, the villagers claim that, children travelling more than a kilometer and half from their respective houses to school, are scared of the miscreants, who are said to have hurt the children before and hence have demanded a primary school and an Anganwadi centre in the village itself.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, the local Panch, Sajjan Sukhlal, remarked that they have approached the Sarpanch with their problems, alongside several government officials, but nothing was done to address the issues.

An official of the Raigaon Gram Panchayat - Pankaj Kushwaha, however, maintained that the villagers refused attempts to connect them with the mainstream society and take part in the sterilisation camps. "Besides refusing the help, the villagers even go for begging to make their ends meet," he added.

Chief Executive Officer of Janpad Panchayat Anil Pawar further said that they would strive for the upliftment of the village with support from the Department of Women and Child Development and Department of Education.

However, only time would tell, whether the remote village would witness any development either on infrastructural or social front.