NATION’S FUTURE IN PURDAH

She comes with a pot of water and a steel plate in her hand, to wash my mother’s feet. Draped in a green sari, which is not well pleated, she carries a long purdah....long enough to cover her face. The sound of her anklets and bangles form an aura. She turns to me after sometime...asking me to keep my feet in the plate so that she could wash it. My refusal to her offer however, offends all my family members. Once she is done with welcoming us, she is called upon by Badi ma to wash the vessels.

Ranjana, who is 13 years old, belongs to Rajbhar community and got married when she was 10. Though she does not know to drape sari, she manages to pleat it anyhow. She got a gold ring from her in laws at the time of her wedding, which she treasures the most cause that is the only gold ornament she has. Her husband, 17, helps his father in farms. For Ranjana, cooking for 8 people at her in law’s place is not a big deal because she has been cooking since she was 8 year old. When asked about getting married earlier, she says that every girl in her village is trained by her parents about how to be a good wife and daughter in law right from the age of 5. She knows the count of 1-20 in Hindi but fails to write the same, though she is done with her 5^th class.  

One of the major causes for such kind of child marriage in state like UP and Rajasthan is the poverty level. Specifically in UP, the father of a 10 year old daughter has the mindset that, older my daughter gets more the dowry I have to give. At the same time, the parents of a son face the same concern of early marriage of their son because once he crosses the age of 30, hardly will anyone come to marry their son and at the same time the amount of dowry decreases that they may demand for. Another reason is that the eagerness of  ladies to get their daughter in laws at their homes as soon as possible, so that these mother in laws can just sit and pass on the orders to their daughter in laws. One of the other reason that is being observed behind why marry your daughter so early is...so that these girls do not involve into any sexual promiscuity.

My native, which falls in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh is situated beside the river Gomati and happens to be a beautiful place. Falling in one of the remotest area of state, it has been newly known to technological advancements but it seems to be very aloof in terms of social up gradation.  Laws do not work as far as ancient practices are concerned. As mentioned in one of the media theories, people ought to listen to their opinion leaders or their friends and relatives rather than any stranger...become that relative, friend or opinion leader of these villagers in terms of eradicating child marriages.

Posted by- Pandey Kavita

MACJ, PART-I