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Rajasthan, a state rich in culture and heritage, is also famous for its customs and traditions. Women have always played a very important role in the various Rituals and customs and traditions. However it is also true that they have always been treated as a mere appendage to their male counterparts. There are number of practices prevalent in the various communities of Rajasthan. Which very well reflect the above mentioned fact. One such practice is the NATA PRATHA which is very common amongst the tribal communities and some schedule caste and other backward caste of southern Rajasthan. This paper attempts to study about the Bhils which is the largest tribe of South Asia Constituting 39% of the total Population of Rajasthan. ’Nata’ a ‘customary’ form of marriage is still prevalent in this community at some parts of western Rajasthan. Nata pratha enjoys legal sanctity in eyes of law as customary practice of the particular community.

The review came across so many relevant matters in literature and the material has been connected & reviewed down below:-

Many Cases have been reported in different types of mass media.

Thoughts of people living in the tribal areas.

Different reviews of media in various places and situations.

Law journals like EPW Economic and Political weekly, store.

Nata pratha sanctions the practice of women entering into relationship with a man other than her husband, when husband dies or desert her or when separation occurs as a result of dispute. It was initially practiced within the caste and predominantly with the desire and consent of the ex- husband, girl’s father and generally with girl’s approval, In Nata Pratha the man who accepts the women has to pay a mutually agreed upon sum of money called”Jhagda” which is usually distributed amongst the former husband, Jati panchayat and the father of the women. The matter is settled by the jati panchayat and the terms and condition of the mode and amount of payment becomes a customary law after singing the document known as “Kagli”.

If a man or woman chooses to take another partner, the spouse being left behind can’t object as long as he or she is paid Jhagda. It is binding on the couple to settle the separation amicably and according to the community panchayat norms. However it is not worthy that in Nata one can’t have two partners simultaneously.

An attempt is made to evaluate the authenticity of this custom where a woman has right to choose a man of her choice either after divorce or after becoming widow. She is fully recognized by the society. This is the main demand of the present day feminist.

But a big question mark in present day times in put to this popular custom. Has the picture entirely changed in the contemporary times? Has this custom become a means of extreme sexual exploitation of women? Is it the aim of the parties involved in Nata is to gain maximum monetary benefit treating a woman a mere cattle. Is there a slaughter on popular culture & feminism so many questions arise which remain unanswered in present context.

Considering the above facts, the practice of Nata is not exploitative in cases where women make a conscious decision to enter into such an agreement. Widowhood, physical or mental retardation alcoholism, wife bettering, immoral behavior, illiterate boy, discord between or within in-laws are some of the reason for which women choose to have new partner, Similarly men can also opt for another partner, because of wives chronic illness, women’s ability conduct debt on the boy’s family and lack of interest in household chores and the acquisition of better jobs.

Thus, Nata basically provides sexual freedom and the right to choose one’s partner to women which is on the main demands of present day feminists. However the picture has entirely changed in these contemporary times. Today this custom has become the means of extreme sexual exploitation of women.

 The sole aim of the parties involved in Nata is to gain maximum monetary benefit, treating the women as mere chattel and pawn. The choice of women is no longer considered to be important and she is even deprived of her dur to share in the monetary transaction. 

Is all the more pathetic that the lady is not even given her due recognition as wife in the new alliance, although she has to perform all the functions of a wife, She is not allowed to keep her children with her, born from her ex husband.

Thus, an attempt will be made in the paper to explore the various aspects related with the Nata custom. Both positive and the negative aspects of this custom. Will be discussed at length so as to present a true picture of the Nata.

With the development of human society and civilization, various social institutions have also developed. Marriage and family are such basic social institutions which not only incorporate various forms of mutual relations between men and women but also play an important role in giving them social legal sanction.

Westermarck (1922) while talking about human marriage has said that marriage is a union of one or more men with one or more women, which is accepted by custom or law and in which the persons who marry and the potential born of it. The rights and duties that children have towards others are included. This definition not only explains the various aspects of marriage but also includes the family and kinship system established by marriage.

Though marriage as an institution is universal, the practice of marriage, its preferences and taboos are not universal. These keep on changing according to the country- time-environment. This is the reason why there is diversity in the rules, systems, forms, etc. of marriage in different cultures and religions, castes and classes. In a nation as diverse as India, this variation is clearly reflected in local cultures, ethnic groups, castes and classes.

Like marriage, the family also includes the mutual relations of men and women, their responsibilities and rights as an institution. The patriarchal or matriarchal form of family views these heterosexual relationships on the basis of inequality and the associated customs and traditions play an important role in maintaining this inequality. In India too, due to some practices related to women, such as dowry system, child marriage, low status of widows, practice of atta-sata , women not only get low status in the society but also become exploited and submissive. Is. Being aware and strong about their rights, they are unable to demand them. In the presented article, a similar practice of kinship system has been discussed.

Some flexible forms of marriage are seen in many societies, in which the approved forms of marriage rituals are not seen, but through this, men and women get the approval to live social life as husband and wife. Nata Pratha is also a similar practice in which men And the woman get the approval to live together. Nata Pratha marriage is also an alternative form of marriage (Nagar, 2016). This practice gives women the right or freedom to lead a life of their choice but at the same time it also becomes a medium of violence against women.

Meaning of Kinship System:-

Nata Pratha is a social system, in which after the marriage of a woman and a man, after abandoning it, remains with the husband and wife without marrying any other woman or man. Such marriage is considered at the social level after paying the amount of the quarrel. In other sense, Nata refers to such a relationship in which a married or abandoned woman can live as a wife with another man, but in the case of a married woman, that man can give a specified amount of money to the ex-husband of that woman. Such a marriage cannot attain social status until such a marriage is paid. That means it will not be valid according to the rules and regulations of the society. 

In this way, the meaning of relationship is that after getting married, when the wife goes to her husband's house or the husband does not bring his wife home, both of them want to settle separately, and for this the husband leaves his first wife and marries another. The wife brings or else the wife wants to settle down with another person instead of going to her first husband. Through these two men and women who are dissatisfied with their first married life want to start their new married life again. The process through which a woman is sent to her new in-laws or a man takes another wife is called nata. This practice is basically a feature of tribal society. This practice is also prevalent among Bhils, Damor and Garasia of Rajasthan and Bhils of Gujarat. Nata is a marriage without pomp, in which the bride-price is very high. This bride price is divided equally among the parents of the girl's husband's relatives. Any woman in the Bhil tribe can marry another man along with her children. The other husband has to pay compensation for this. Similarly, Nata Pratha is also prevalent in the Garasia tribe. In this type of marriage, the five brides of the society fix the bride price and the relationship takes place only on its payment. In many cases, divorced women also get married through nata. But in such cases the price is decided by her ex-husband. 

It is clear from the above meanings that Nata Pratha is a conservative tradition, which is a post-marriage relationship between a woman and a man, in which the women and men who make this relationship legally divorce without taking the approval of the society or the amount fixed by the society. After giving that woman to her ex- husband, they can live together without getting married. In such a relationship, society gives freedom to men and women to live together without marriage after marriage. If this couple wants, they can also have one or more relations through kinship, if they marry following the conditions of the panchayat of the society.

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