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520 MEOS
Muslim manner, but most of them performed the Puja (worship) at the shrines
of the Hindu gods and goddesses.
The Meos even now follow the traditional Hindu customs with regard to
marriage and kinship. Gotra exogamy is strictly observed. Cousin marriage
continues to be taboo among the Meos. Recent attempts to break this tradition
have evoked strong opposition. Also, Meo women do not observe purdah.
Since 1947 a strong move towards Islamization has begun in Mewat. A religious
revival movement initiated in Delhi a few years prior to independence
suddenly became popular, and under its influence many of the Hindu rituals,
ceremonies and festivals were abandoned by the Meos and substitutes from
Muslim tradition adopted in their place.
There appear to be three reasons for Islamic revival in Mewat. First, when
India was partitioned in 1947 to give the Muslims a separate state, antipathy
between the Hindus and the Muslims was heightened to the point of violence.
In Mewat, this led to attempts on the part of the Hindus to reconvert the Meos.
For the Meos, this produced an identity crisis, and they felt that the very existence
of the community was threatened. As soon as normal conditions returned, the
Meos began to reassert their identity as Muslims.
Second, under the old system the Meos were the dominant caste and enjoyed
high social prestige as well as economic and political power. In other words,
the prevailing system of stratification favored the Meos so much that they did
not like to disturb it even after conversion to Islam. The local Hindu castes, in
their own interest, overlooked the change in religion of the Meos as long as
their own economic and social life remained undisturbed. They continued to
serve the Meos as a high caste in exchange for their fixed due in agricultural
produce and gifts of various kinds. Even the Brahman continued to serve the
Meos as priest. But following Independence, a variety of social, political and
economic changes began to take place in India. The traditional caste system
began to weaken as a result. Due to certain circumstances, such as emigration
of some Meos to Pakistan, the impact of social change was more intense in
Mewat. The untouchable castes were given representation in the village council
as well as land abandoned by the Meos, which of course raised their status and
changed their attitude towards the high castes. Furthermore, as agriculture became
more market-oriented, the traditional relationship among various castes
and their interdependence broke down. These and many other changes eroded
the caste system to such an extent that the privileges of the Meos as the dominant
caste were severely curtailed.
Third, with the improvement of communication and other developments, the
Meos began to feel that they could no longer remain isolated from the outside
world. They were drawn into the emerging nation through the electoral process,
participation in the newly formed village panchayats, increased links with the
wider market, higher education of their children, etc. The Meos discovered that
the first natural step for them in this process of widening integration was to forge
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