Years ago, Natu Parmar, a man hailing from the Dalit community was unable to ride a mare on his wedding day fearing backlash from upper caste communities. He fulfilled this long lost dream on Friday, May 20, 2022. Not only did he fulfill his promise, but he outdid it by riding an elephant as part of his daughter Bharti’s pre-wedding festivities instead of a mare.
Parmar, a resident of Surendranagar in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat highlighted that FIRs filed almost every month even today for fuleku (pre-wedding procession) by Dalit men are so high, that one can only imagine the scenario two decades ago. He was denied the procession by his elders, to which he agreed half-heartedly. But later, he had decided that his children won’t suffer a similar fate.
Additionally, Parmar stated that he wanted to send out a powerful message with this movie. Parmar got the elephant from Ahmedabad, adorned with colours, and banners which ‘Educate Daughters, Give Rights to Your Daughters’. A picture of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was also added to the procession to remind everyone that he had ensured equality for all– irrespective of gender or caste.
Previously worked in a news channel, Natu Natu Parmar has also staged a protest as part of the aftermath of the 2016 Una flogging incident. Additionally, he also runs an NGO ‘Navnirman Trust’ which works towards Dalit issues and takes care of sick cows.
His daughter Bharti is a staff nurse at Limdi general hospital with a degree in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) and is the eldest of the three siblings. Parmar has two sons aged 21 and 19 years, who are also pursuing nursing courses.
