Diktats, boycotts and the fight for rights

Residents of different villages at a public hearing held by Telangana State Commission for Backward Classes, in Nizamabad last month. Nearly 90 complaints concerning alleged excesses by village development committees were put forth. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal On a sunny afternoon last year, 40-year-old Kairi Kalyani dressed in her festive best and stepped out of her home with a plate of offerings, including turmeric, kumkum, flowers, coconuts and fruits. It was Sri Rama Navami, and Kalyani, along with a dozen other women from her neighbourhood in Tallarampur village of Nizamabad district, arrived at the local Ramalayam to perform kumkumarchana.But what was meant to be a day of prayer and celebration quickly turned into an experience of humiliation. Just as the women settled among the other devotees, the temple priest allegedly asked them to leave. The reason? They belonged to the Goud (toddy-tapper) community and were not permitted to perform rituals at the temple! Published - November 06, 2026 08:52 am IST