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16 Soc. Change 3 (1986)

handle is hein.journals/sclcnge16 and id is 1 raw text is: Social Change : March 1986 : Vol. 16 No. I Child Marriages in Rajasthan* M. K. Jabbi** Abstract The custom of child marriages, its perception by the people who practise this custom, the reasons for its popularity and the factors that help to perpetuate it are discussed. The custom is very deep-rooted and is considered a problem by the educated and by others who are not a party to this custom whereas the people practicing it provide substantive and valid reasons for its practice and state problems that would be difficult to solve if the custom is to be checked. *This project was sponsored by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of India. It was undertaken in two States-R ajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Data for the main study was collected from 960 respondents (male and female, rural and urban) from each State. In addition some group discussions were held and indepth interviews conducted. Findings of only the group discussions and indepth interviews in Rajasthan are being reported in this paper along with the personal impressions of the author. **Research Fellow, Council for Social Development, 53 Lodi Estate, NEW DELHI-i10003 Introduction Child marriage has been a fairly well-established custom in India. It is difficult to determine how the custom originated in India but a number of social, economic and psychological factors have helped to sustain it. It is quite a common sight to find little children, even infants, getting married on 'akha teej' (a festival of marriages). The custom of infant marriages is so common that the local language has even a typical phrase to describe it; it is said that the infant is being married in 'peele potre' (yellow napkins). This means that the child is married at so young an age that he/she still wets the napkins. At such a tender age it is not uncommon to find either the parents or some uncle/aunty carrying the child in their arms or the child being put in a 'thali' for the traditional 'phere' of the wedding. The most common reason reported for such marriages is that when a girl in the family reaches marriageable age (10.12 years) she is to be married, and along with her all the girls in the family whatever be their age. If the girl is married young, she is not sent to her husband's house to stay. She may go for a few days after marriage and then come back to her parents' home and starts her marital life after she is mature and the parents arrange a ceremony called 'gauna', 'muklava' or 'sava'. This may be an elaborate ceremony when a lot is given and taken by both sides or it may be a very simple affair with the groom coming with two or three persons to the bride's house and after a stay of a 3 day or two, taking her along with them. The custom of bride price or 'reet' is prevalent in the backward and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The groom's parents give jewellery to the bride and cash to her parents, an amount demanded by the bride's party or fixed mutually. This custom was prevalent in olden times but is now decreasing. However. in most of the cases the amount demanded from the boy's parents is equivalent to what would actually be spent on the wedding. Also, bride-price is demanded only by those who are not well-off. Probably, in the process of 'sanskritization' and in an effort to imitate the upper castes, bride-price is now demanded less and less. Under the influence of education and customs of the higher castes, demand for bride- price is being replaced by the demand for dowry. The custom of dowry as 'stri-dhan' is prevalent in all castes while in the foreward castes such as Brahmin, Bania, Mahajans and Rajputs, dowry is even demanded by the groom's party. In these castes clothes, jewellery, cash and other household articles are given in dowry while in the castes other than forward, utensils and bedding and bed are more frequently given. The more well-off may also give a cow, buffalo or goat. From the boy's side, clothes and jewellery are given in all castes while cash may also be given among the lower castes. As is quite natural, the castes in which child marriages occur also have the custom of 'nata' or remarriage. A boy could marry more than once but a girl

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