<p>Mundaragi (Gadag district): The officials of social welfare department, gram panchayat and revenue took initiative to open a barber shop at Singatalur village in Mundaragi taluk of the district after the members of Hadapad community refused to entertain the Dalits.</p>.<p>The move was aimed at eradicating the caste-based discrimination, which was prevalent in the village.</p>.Karnataka SC/ST corp chief expresses displeasure over lack of electricity to Malekudiya houses in Dakshina Kannada .<p>Citing a tradition, the Hadapad families, devotees of village deity Veerabhadreshwara, denied haircuts to Dalits over the years. Interestingly, this ‘ancestral custom’ had a stamp of approval from the Dalit community for generations.</p>.<p>The lone barber shop in the village was shut recently after Dalit youths started visiting the shop and insisting on their right to service. The shop was opened after taking permission from the gram panchayat. Hence, they should provide service to all, the Dalit youths had urged.</p>.<p>A few Hadapad families in the village took up farming on a small scale and odd jobs. They visited the houses of upper classes, but denied haircuts to the members of Dalit community, who were forced to visit the neighbouring villages for a haircut.</p>.<p>The officials of social welfare and the revenue departments tried to convince the barbers to open shops and offer the service to all communities. After their efforts failed to yield the desired results, the officials issued notices to Hadapad families. But they were in no mood to relent. With no option, the officials decided to open a government barber shop.</p>.<p>Udaykumar Yeliwal, the assistant director of the Social Welfare department, successfully convinced Devu Hadapad, state president of Hadapada Appanna Samaj to open a salon in the village. Accordingly, a barber shop was opened in the presence of tahsildar Yerriswai and other taluk and district officials on February 26.</p>
<p>Mundaragi (Gadag district): The officials of social welfare department, gram panchayat and revenue took initiative to open a barber shop at Singatalur village in Mundaragi taluk of the district after the members of Hadapad community refused to entertain the Dalits.</p>.<p>The move was aimed at eradicating the caste-based discrimination, which was prevalent in the village.</p>.Karnataka SC/ST corp chief expresses displeasure over lack of electricity to Malekudiya houses in Dakshina Kannada .<p>Citing a tradition, the Hadapad families, devotees of village deity Veerabhadreshwara, denied haircuts to Dalits over the years. Interestingly, this ‘ancestral custom’ had a stamp of approval from the Dalit community for generations.</p>.<p>The lone barber shop in the village was shut recently after Dalit youths started visiting the shop and insisting on their right to service. The shop was opened after taking permission from the gram panchayat. Hence, they should provide service to all, the Dalit youths had urged.</p>.<p>A few Hadapad families in the village took up farming on a small scale and odd jobs. They visited the houses of upper classes, but denied haircuts to the members of Dalit community, who were forced to visit the neighbouring villages for a haircut.</p>.<p>The officials of social welfare and the revenue departments tried to convince the barbers to open shops and offer the service to all communities. After their efforts failed to yield the desired results, the officials issued notices to Hadapad families. But they were in no mood to relent. With no option, the officials decided to open a government barber shop.</p>.<p>Udaykumar Yeliwal, the assistant director of the Social Welfare department, successfully convinced Devu Hadapad, state president of Hadapada Appanna Samaj to open a salon in the village. Accordingly, a barber shop was opened in the presence of tahsildar Yerriswai and other taluk and district officials on February 26.</p>
