How a social institution in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar fosters sexual liberation

Here, men and women are permitted to date democratically before entering into a marriage

As a teenager, you have the choice to select your partner for a night out, have the freedom to explore sexuality with the said person, and in the morning, choose to walk away if you don’t feel great about the experience. The process may be repeated weekly so that partnering can be done in several rounds within a group of individuals for an equal chance and what we term ‘vibe-match’ in our woke lingo. Also, the women take the call. Sounds like dating made easy?

A concept far removed from the atypical urban society to promote sexual interactions as a matter of choice, certain tribes in India’s remote forests of Chhattisgarh and Odisha have had a unique, ancient practice that offers a lot of freedom. In Bastar’s deep forests live the Murias and Gonds, who have a youth dormitory system called ghotul. The cheliks and motiaris are member boys and girls, respectively, who are led to vocational, traditional, spiritual, and physical training by the Sirdar—the leader of the males, and the Belosa—the leader of the female members. Everyone does as they are told and are delegated by the leaders.

An evolved system

A member of the village panchayat in Edka in Narayanpur district in Chhattisgarh, requesting anonymity, opined that schools have reduced participation in ghotuls nowadays and members visit perhaps once or twice a week. But one cannot deny the benefits of such a democratic system of dating and how important equality is considered in the tribe’s culture even today. “Abandonment is a common problem in tribal homes, but those who pair from [within] the ghotul have significantly longer and happier relationships”, shares Jeet Singh Arya of Unexplored Bastar, a travel start-up that focuses on sustainable tourism through a community-led approach. Arya has dedicated himself towards promoting Bastar to tourists by working closely with both the government and the tribes.

Ghotul is an anthropologically evolved social structure, developed over thousands of years of practice. It is an institution, much like a modern college, where the youth get to learn and enhance their skill sets and understand important foundational needs of social life, including agriculture, finance, nuances of family life, traditions and art. In a typical Muria ghotul, girls and boys both learn different songs and dances with specific styles as per the occasion they should be performed on. Admission to the dormitory occurs when a boy or girl hits puberty.

Ghotul, then, is not just for sex as it has been presented in urban literature, although sparsely. The only comprehensive account of the ghotul tradition is a single book authored by Verrier Elwin, a British-Indian anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, titled The Muria and their Ghotul (1992). Admittance to a ghotul is forbidden for strangers unless there are friendly connections to facilitate a visit during important ceremonies or gatherings. “You need to get permission from the gram sabha to even enter the ghotul premises, and it is certainly not easy for a visitor from the cities to evoke earnest relations with the tribes”, recollects Hitha Nanjappa, a traveller who once had an opportunity to witness a day event at a ghotul in Kondagaon. “They are fiercely protective of their identity and may come across as reticent to share any information about their traditions.”

Ghotul is an evolved education system to impart the most necessary life skills including physical and sex education without fostering any competitiveness or envy towards others. It is gender-conscious, but also heteronormative in the larger sense for the objective is marriage and reproduction among pairs that graduate out of the ghotul when they reach adulthood. However, there exist awe-inspiring customs, discipline and organisation in the entire process, for it is not a means to just engage in frivolous behaviour but a way of life, ingrained in the way generations have followed a cultural system. Surati (19, name changed upon request) is a member of a Muria ghotul and feels that the strict rules that do not allow adults to engage with young members of ghotuls lets them to be free with their choices. “Since we get to know everyone closely, and choose a partner publicly, there are less fights or feelings of envy,” she shares.

The beginnings 

“I doubt indeed if the Ghotul could exist in another kind of society, a society less free from rivalry and competition, less subject to jealousy, less gentle and tolerant.” - Elwin Verrier

Verrier, in his attempt to study the structure of a ghotul, in his book mentions that the Muria ghotul is nothing short of an institution, tracing back to Lingo Pen, a famous cult hero of the Gond community, of which all unmarried boys and girls of the tribe must be members.

History points to kings and queens of Bastar, especially of the ancient Chhindak Naaga Vansh dynasty, who spoke about gender equality back in the 10th and 11th centuries. “You can call it a development school for young minds, and there is evidence of a similar ‘yuva griha’ (youth homes) concept in other tribes such as the Dhumkuriya of the Oraons”, explains Apratim Jha, assistant professor at Christ College in Jagdalpur.

Once a chelik and motiari pair up, the progression to the next stage of life critically depends on the acceptance by the ghotul members as well as the clans to which they belong. If agreeable, an elaborate three-stage betrothal system takes place, followed by a marriage entirely planned and carried out by the ghotul. These young adults are seldom touched or engaged by adults, and it is forbidden for adults to tease, abuse or joke with ghotul members of the opposite sex.

“A ghotul system provides for all-round development and holistic well-being, and looking at it only from the perspective of sexual relations is grossly unfair,” adds Jha.

Almost a culture shock to urban visitors, the ghotul is also responsible for sorting out unwanted or accidental pregnancies. If the girl knows who the father is, she is sent to his house and Lagir–a marriage ceremony–is carried out either before or after the birth takes place. I met Mahesh (name changed upon request) in February this year, who had accidentally impregnated his motiari partner and was quite happily counting days to his wedding in March, when the baby would turn five months. If the girl cannot determine the father, the entire community adopts the child as its own. 

In its own complex system, the Muria tribes have followed a lifestyle of zero judgment and overall well-being, away from the influences of the outside world. While a little wishful thinker may want our society to adopt such lives, it is sacred to those who live in the forests of Bastar for now.

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