This is the first time in over 60 years that a wedding ceremony has been organized in the Wadia village of the Saraniya tribe.
For any other vill age it would have been a routine event. But for Wadia village in Tharad taluka of Banaskantha district, the wedding of eight girls of the village and the engagement of 12 at a mass wedding-cum- engagement function on Sunday was no less than historic.
This is the first time in over 60 years that a wedding ceremony has been organized in this village of the Saraniya tribe. Earlier no one was willing to marry the girls of the village because of Wadia's notoriety for prostitution, with its men soliciting clients for the village women.
On Sunday, eight girls of the village took wedding vows and 12 girls got engaged to suitable boys of the Saraniya tribe from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan. The brides wore ornaments and were dressed in tribal bridal finery. The wedding and engagement ceremonies took place amid dhol beats and the soothing sound of the shehnai.
"Today is a day to rejoice. From the day I began to understand the world, I was taught other skills, like embroidery, to earn a livelihood. Whatever happened in the past needs to be left behind. I feel very different as I am getting married today," said Hema. She was the first girl from the village to agree to get married.
Babubhai Bhalabhai, brother of one of the brides, said the villagers are happy to be hosting the wedding. "We hope the transformation continues with more women of the village agreeing to get married," Bhalabhai said.
The ceremony was held on a ground in Wadia and was attended by no less than 2500 people. To be part of the social transformation of the village, the district collector, superintendent of police and minister of state for health also attended the ceremony, apart from villagers and other dignitaries.
As in any wedding, this one too had ceremonies like mehandi, sangeet and garba, display of kariyavar (gifts given by family and friends) and vidai.
Hema and other girls of the village have been able to break out of an evil tradition mainly because of the six years of effort made by a team headed by Mital Patel of Vicharata Samuday Manch. The Manch, an NGO, works for the welfare of nomadic and de-notified tribes.
To end the practice of prostitution in the village, Patel and her team smartly traced yet another tradition of the Saraniya tribe.
"During our interaction with Wadia villagers, we came to know that once married or engaged, a girl of the tribe is not forced into prostitution. Hence, we began efforts to convince the villagers to marry off their girls. After six years of persuasion and training in crafts to help them earn a living, we finally succeeded," said Patel.
She feels that more and more women of the village will come forward to get married. "This is the first step the villagers have taken towards a respectful life. They are happy to see their daughters settle down and I am sure other girls of the village will also get married," Patel said.
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