CHAYAN–2025, a national convention dedicated to promoting the Right to Choose, inter-caste marriages, and inter-religious marriages, was successfully organized by Kula Nirmulana Sangham (Casteless Society of India) in November 2025. Bringing together representatives from nearly twenty organizations across India, the convention created a unique national platform for dialogue, collaboration, and collective action to address caste discrimination, honour-based violence, and restrictions on personal liberty.
United by a shared commitment to constitutional values, participants reaffirmed that the freedom to choose one's life partner is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of India. The convention emphasized that inter-caste and inter-religious marriages are powerful instruments of social transformation, helping dismantle caste hierarchies, foster social integration, and strengthen the principles of equality, liberty, and fraternity.
The primary objective of CHAYAN–2025 was to strengthen the growing national network of organizations working to protect the Right to Choose while promoting inter-caste and inter-religious marriages as pathways toward a more inclusive society. The convention also served as a forum for sharing successful initiatives, legal interventions, and grassroots experiences from different states, discussing the increasing incidence of honour-based crimes, advocating policy reforms to safeguard couples exercising their constitutional rights, and developing coordinated strategies to combat caste discrimination and social exclusion.
The convention witnessed enthusiastic participation from activists, social reformers, legal experts, researchers, writers, journalists, women's rights advocates, and human rights defenders representing organizations from across the country. Delegates shared regional experiences, successful public awareness campaigns, legal victories, and the challenges faced by inter-caste and inter-religious couples. The diversity of perspectives enriched the discussions and reinforced the importance of building a united national movement committed to protecting individual freedoms and constitutional rights.
Throughout the convention, participants engaged in extensive deliberations on the critical issues confronting the Right to Choose movement. Discussions focused on the alarming rise in honour killings and violence against inter-caste and inter-religious couples, the misuse of caste and religious identities to restrict personal freedom, the need for effective implementation of Supreme Court directives protecting consenting adults, improved police accountability in cases involving threats to couples, and the establishment of shelter homes, counselling services, and rehabilitation mechanisms for those at risk. The convention also highlighted the importance of sustained public awareness campaigns to eradicate caste prejudice and strengthen solidarity among civil society organizations working toward a more equal and democratic society.
Participants unanimously concluded that, despite the constitutional guarantee of individual liberty, social acceptance of a person's right to choose a life partner remains limited in many parts of India. The convention reaffirmed that continued collaboration, public engagement, legal advocacy, and collective action are essential to ensuring that every individual can exercise this fundamental right without fear, discrimination, or violence.
Sharing Experiences, Remembering Victims, and Charting the Future
A defining feature of CHAYAN–2025 was the sharing of real-life experiences by activists, survivors, and organizations working to protect the constitutional right to choose one's life partner. Delegates from across the country presented inspiring accounts of successful inter-caste and inter-religious marriages that had overcome intense social opposition, along with stories of rescue and rehabilitation efforts for couples facing threats and violence. Participants also shared their experiences of legal interventions that safeguarded constitutional rights, community-based support systems developed in different states, and the challenges faced by organizations assisting vulnerable couples. These exchanges created an invaluable platform for learning, collaboration, and the adoption of best practices for future interventions.
The convention also paid tribute to the victims of honour-based violence. Families, survivors, and human rights defenders shared deeply moving accounts of honour killings and violent attacks carried out in the name of caste, religion, and family honour. These testimonies underscored the harsh reality that many individuals continue to face violence simply for exercising their constitutional right to choose their life partner. Participants reaffirmed that honour killings are not merely crimes against individuals but direct assaults on the constitutional values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and human dignity. The discussions emphasized the urgent need for stronger legal protection, greater public awareness, and more effective institutional support to prevent such atrocities.
An important highlight of the convention was the release of the CHAYAN–2025 Souvenir, a comprehensive publication documenting the movement and its achievements. The souvenir brings together experiences shared by activists from across India, articles on the Right to Choose, case studies of inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, narratives of honour killing victims and survivors, legal analyses, historical perspectives on the movement, policy recommendations, and messages from eminent personalities and supporters. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, students, policymakers, human rights defenders, and organizations committed to building a caste-free and discrimination-free society.
A poignant cultural highlight of **CHAYAN–2025** was the release of **"Prema Karuvaye"**, a powerful song that draws attention to the brutal reality of **honour killings** and the violence faced by couples who choose to marry across caste or religious boundaries. The song was rendered by **Vimalakka**, the acclaimed Telangana folk singer, poet, and social activist, whose music has long been associated with movements for social justice, equality, and the rights of marginalized communities. Through its emotionally moving lyrics and evocative performance, *Prema Karuvaye* condemns honour-based violence, questions the social norms that justify such crimes, and calls upon society to uphold the constitutional values of liberty, equality, and the Right to Choose. The release of the song at the convention served as a powerful reminder that honour killings are not merely crimes against individuals but an assault on human dignity and constitutional morality, reinforcing the convention's collective resolve to eliminate caste-based violence and build a more just, humane, and casteless society.
Looking ahead, the participating organizations resolved to strengthen CHAYAN as a vibrant national network connecting movements and institutions working across India. The convention outlined a shared vision that includes regular national and regional consultations, coordinated advocacy before governments and constitutional bodies, systematic documentation of honour crime cases, expanded legal support for affected couples, public campaigns promoting constitutional morality, continued research and publications, and the expansion of the network to include more organizations from every state.
The convention unanimously adopted a comprehensive national resolution urging the Governments of India and the States to take concrete measures to protect the constitutional rights of individuals. Among its key recommendations were the enactment of a comprehensive law specifically addressing honour killings and crimes committed in the name of family or community honour, effective implementation of Supreme Court guidelines for the protection of couples, immediate police protection for adults facing threats due to inter-caste or inter-religious marriages, the establishment of safe houses and support centres in every district, speedy investigation and prosecution of honour crime cases, strict action against unlawful interference by caste panchayats and vigilante groups, financial assistance and rehabilitation for threatened couples, and nationwide awareness campaigns promoting constitutional values of equality, liberty, fraternity, and the Right to Choose. The resolution also called for educational initiatives encouraging inter-caste and inter-religious marriages as instruments of social integration and national unity, along with stronger institutional mechanisms to eliminate caste-based discrimination.
CHAYAN–2025 marked a significant milestone in India's ongoing movement for equality, dignity, and the Right to Choose. By bringing together diverse voices from across the country, documenting lived experiences, honouring victims of caste- and honour-based violence, releasing an important national publication, and adopting a common resolution, the convention strengthened the collective resolve to uphold the constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. It concluded with a renewed pledge to continue working together until every individual in India can freely choose their life partner without fear, discrimination, or violence, thereby contributing to the creation of a truly democratic, humane, and caste-free society.
