Equality must be taught from a very young age: Gowsalya Shankar calls for youth movement against honour killings

The anti-caste activist has called for a separate law to ensure that organisations that fund honour killings are also held accountable and included as culprits

Gowsalya Shankar was just 19 years old when her husband, Shankar, was murdered in front of her by goons hired by her family in 2016. She hails from the Piramalai Kallar community, classified as the Most Backward Class (MBC), while Shankar was a Dalit. After Shankar’s death, Gousalya transformed into an anti-caste activist and is now a vociferous fighter against honour killings. Edited excerpts of her interview with DH. 

How did you overcome the trauma of Shankar’s death? 

I won’t say I have completely overcome Shankar’s loss. The pain has always been there; it is just that I have learned to live with it. I have never moved past Shankar’s death, nor have I avoided talking about him.

The trauma keeps resurfacing, but I know I have to keep working. My life was shattered, but I chose not to remain a victim. Becoming an activist is a conscious choice I made because I don’t want anyone else to go through the trauma I underwent. No one should experience what Shankar did.

Do you agree with the opinion that honour killings should not be looked at solely through the prism of caste, but should also be viewed as a gender issue since they affect women more?

It is true. Everything revolves around women, be it dowry or marriage. The problem starts when women choose their life partners. They are denied the right, but men are rarely questioned in the same way. Families don’t accept even if a woman falls in love with a man from the same caste. The problem there is not caste but the woman exercising her independence. Women are seen as property, as symbols of caste pride.

Since birth, girls are also conditioned to accept what their parents decide for them. I believe society treats women as mere tools to produce the next generation, not as individuals with rights. When a woman rebels, it leads to problems, so much so that some even resort to the extreme step of killing the girl or the boy she falls in love with or both.

Over the past eight years, you’ve been working with people on this issue. What is the one thing that remains unchanged?

The mindset that a woman’s choice threatens the honour of the family has not changed. Even educated youth believe that if a woman in their family loves someone from another caste, it is wrong and that the honour of their family and caste is at stake. This is why they take the extreme step of murdering their own loved ones in the name of reclaiming the lost honour.

However, inter-caste marriages continue to take place in Tamil Nadu. The problem is that society and families don’t teach young men to respect women as individuals with their own rights.

Even women are not taught about their own worth, and I truly believe the need of the hour is to educate the next generation about equality and respect. 

The worst part is that even leaders like Ambedkar and Periyar are portrayed as caste leaders, not as advocates for equality. This should change. That is why we seek a special law to prevent such crimes.

Caste honour killings are seen as a law and order problem and not a social malice by the state. This is why there is reluctance on the part of the political leadership to do something to prevent it.

Why do you think only a separate law will prevent honour killings?

Such crimes have been institutionalised by caste organisations, which have changed the definition of honour killing. Initially, it was parents who hired goons to commit such murders. But the murder of Dalit youth Gokulraj changed the perspective. 

The leader of a caste organisation with no direct connection to the girl involved murdered the boy. These organisations are using caste for their own gain, and their motive is clear — they use caste to make money. Caste organisations have institutionalised such killings by supporting the killers financially and morally.

A separate law will ensure that organisations that fund these acts are also held accountable and included as culprits. We should also penalise organisations that force young women to swear that they will marry only someone from within their caste. We ask for a separate law only to cover all these aspects. 

In Tamil Nadu, no major political party seems interested in bringing a separate law. Chief Minister M K Stalin’s DMK was vociferous against honour killings when it was in the Opposition. But the party has now gone silent. How do you see this?

This is nothing but double standards and using social justice slogans for political gains. As the LoP, Stalin promised a separate law to tackle honour killings, but he didn’t even utter a word against the killers of Kavin Selva Ganesh. 

Where is the social justice the Chief Minister preaches about in his speeches? Social justice means ensuring equality, and if he doesn’t speak against caste killings, the question we ask is, who is he trying to save?

Such silence is only to appease the dominant OBCs. Parties like the DMK and AIADMK are afraid that they will lose the support of the OBCs in elections.

A decade ago, no one spoke about or against honour killings in public, but there is visible public support for it now. Despite this, political parties avoid talking about this. I think these parties, in their pursuit of vote-bank politics, not merely fear losing the support of caste, but also fear the dominant caste MLAs and MPs. Bringing a law against honour killings requires political will.

Other than a separate law, what do you think is the right way to create awareness on the issue of honour killing? 

I don’t think I can bring about a change in the older generation. They are too rigid for such conversations. I believe we should focus on the youth and create awareness among them. The need of the hour is to plant seeds of equality in children from a very young age. Children and youth are our hope for change, and we should work among them.