‘Gaali band ghar abhiyan’ to be launched in 20 Rohtak villages

The Gaali Band Ghar Abhiyan (No abuse home campaign), which has earned national recognition for its contribution to social reform, will soon be launched in 20 villages across Rohtak district. The initiative aims at encouraging people to eliminate abusive language from everyday conversation, promoting respectful and mindful communication.

Sunil Jaglan, professor of practice at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, and the architect of the widely praised ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, made this announcement on Saturday. He shared that the campaign was designed using a scientific, time-bound approach to challenge social norms around verbal abuse — a root cause, he emphasized, of personal enmity, violence and even murders, especially in rural areas.

“We have already run this campaign successfully in both urban and rural regions of Jind, Hisar, Gurugram and Nuh. When I came to Rohtak in February this year, I observed that abusive language is deeply embedded in everyday conversations of many people here too. That prompted me to expand the campaign here, starting with 20 villages and Rohtak city,” said Jaglan, a former sarpanch of Bibipur village (Jind).

Explaining the methodology, Jaglan noted that his team would first organise small meetings with 15–20 residents in each village to discuss ongoing social issues. Through these discussions, individuals who frequently used abusive language would be identified. They would then be encouraged to join the campaign, which involved personalised counselling and a unique tracking system.

He pointed out that the participants would receive specially designed charts where they logged the number of abuses they used each day. The charts would be displayed in their homes. This tracking mechanism helped participants become aware of their language habits and provided a clear picture of their progress.

“Abusive language is not just a social issue—it’s a mental health concern. The use of derogatory, especially women-centric language, directed at mothers, sisters and daughters is particularly harmful and has far-reaching societal implications,” Jaglan explained, adding that under the campaign, bal panchayat will also be organised at the school level to educate students about the long-term impact of abusive language and encourage them to adopt respectful communication throughout their lives. He said the campaign ran on a six-month cycle, during which a significant reduction in the use of abusive words had consistently been observed. The Gaali Band Ghar Abhiyan began in 2014 from Bibipur village has now gained national attention and has gone viral on social media platforms.

Recently, a state-level function dedicated to the prevention of female foeticide and the Gaali Band Ghar Abhiyan was also held at the MDU.

“During the event, several individuals were felicitated for their contributions and personal transformations. Among them were Khushi from Noida, who reduced her use of abusive language by 70 per cent, Raihana from West Bengal, who persuaded her father to stop using abusive terms, and Ramika, originally from Delhi and now living in England, who has been promoting the campaign internationally,” Jaglan said.

Haryana Tribune