Child marriages on card in remote villages of Gujarat

Palanpur, Apr 29 (UNI) Hundreds of children will tie the kot with the knowledge of the parents in parts of north Gujarat on the occasion of 'Akha Teez' tomorrow.

Though illegal, the centuries-old practice has been in vogue in the semi-arid districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan and Mehasana, particularly in the interior villages in Tharad, Vav, Deodar, Dhanera and Deesa.

The bride-groom processions, led by child grooms, attired in colourful costumes with symbolic swords hanging from their wastebands, is a common sight on Akha Teej in the villages.

''Marriages on Akha Teej, the third day of the second half of the 'Vaishakha', is considered to be convenient, as no consultation is required from any pandit or priest,'' says Suresh, a pandit in Deesa who has over a dozen marriage assignments to perform.

Often, he said, the brides and grooms are found sleeping in their parents' lap by the time the final ritual of Saat Phere approaches.

Untill a few years ago, he recalled, the marriages were decided on speculation, when the child is in the womb of the mother.

It is prevalent among several communities like Ajana, Rabari, Thakor and others from adjacent Rajasthan and settled in Gujarat, like Lohar, Jat, Kumbhar and Gujar.

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