MORE than a century ago, in a court in Tura in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, a Garo tribal man filed a petition seeking compensation from his prospective father-in-law.
According to Garo customs of the time, when a local woman finalises a man for marriage, her uncles and brothers would abduct him. It was expected that the man would resist fiercely, yell and try to escape. This resistance was seen as a sign that he would be a strong and prosperous husband. If he offered little or weak resistance, it would not impress the woman’s family.
The man followed the tradition by resisting abduction, but was eventually confined to the prospective bride’s home. Tradition also dictated he should attempt to escape, which he did. If caught, he’d be brought back. However, a second escape would signal his unwillingness to marry, leading to the proposal being called off.
In this case, after the groom-elect escaped from confinement at the bride’s place, no one searched for him. The girl married another man who, according to Major Playfair, then deputy commissioner of Eastern Bengal and Assam, was “less strict in his ideas of Garo etiquette.” Feeling insulted, the original groom-elect petitioned the court, as recounted in Playfair’s 1909 book The Garos.
In Garo society, property is inherited by women. One can, therefore, understand why the wedding ball starts rolling after the girl or woman identifies a prospective groom. It was believed that the whole process spanned a few days to weeks, giving the man sufficient time to decide.
However, by the 1970s, this practice of ‘abduction marriage’, locally called chawarisikka, had become almost extinct, as Milton Sangma pointed out in his 1979 book History And Culture Of The Garos.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 01, 2024-Ausgabe von Outlook.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 01, 2024-Ausgabe von Outlook.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
The 'Invisible' Dalits
The debate over sub-categorisation of castes is likely to shape the political discourse in the upcoming state elections
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.