Minister’s village set for mass child marriages
Ratanal, which is the native place of Vasan Ahir, will witness the community's biggest mass marriage of minor boys and girls on Friday.
Ratanal, a rich Ahir village which is the native place of a minister in Narendra Modi's council of ministers, Vasan Ahir, will witness the community's biggest mass marriage of minor boys and girls on Friday, the thirteen day of the month of Vaishakh of the indigenous calendar. According to sources in the community, about 235 child couples would tie the nuptial knot on the occasion.
This village, near the eastern Kutch town of Anjar, 25 km from here, presents a picture of paradox as both orthodoxy and modernity co-exists here. The village, boasting of owning a large number of trucks, was in the news last week for organising Kutch Premier League cricket tournament, the only of its kind in the state at rural level. Mass marriages take place among an influential section among the Ahir community, known as Pranthal Ahirs.
Interestingly, all the brides and bridegrooms would be from this village itself. “This is an age-old practice in our community where boys and girls for marriage are preferred from the same village. The marriage ritual takes some five to ten minutes. Because of this practice, the village Ahir community remains intact and every villager is closely connected with one another,” an Ahir leader said.
Denying that the minister's minor grandson will be married off on the occasion, Ahir Trikam, village sarpanch and the president of Kutch Truck Owners Association, told DNA on Wednesday, “Vasan is in no way connected with this mass marriage. I do not know whether he would be visiting the mass marriage on Friday.”
Sources said that Trikam was the nephew of the minister, and his 10-year-old son was set to be married at the mass marriage. The minister was sure to attend the marriage as it was a marriage in the family, they said.
When contacted for comments on Wednesdnay afternoon, CH Bhatt, district social security officer, who is the specially designated official to take legal action against child marriage, said he was not aware of it, but hastened to add that he would inquire into it and take necessary action in the matter.”
This village, near the eastern Kutch town of Anjar, 25 km from here, presents a picture of paradox as both orthodoxy and modernity co-exists here. The village, boasting of owning a large number of trucks, was in the news last week for organising Kutch Premier League cricket tournament, the only of its kind in the state at rural level. Mass marriages take place among an influential section among the Ahir community, known as Pranthal Ahirs.
Interestingly, all the brides and bridegrooms would be from this village itself. “This is an age-old practice in our community where boys and girls for marriage are preferred from the same village. The marriage ritual takes some five to ten minutes. Because of this practice, the village Ahir community remains intact and every villager is closely connected with one another,” an Ahir leader said.
Denying that the minister's minor grandson will be married off on the occasion, Ahir Trikam, village sarpanch and the president of Kutch Truck Owners Association, told DNA on Wednesday, “Vasan is in no way connected with this mass marriage. I do not know whether he would be visiting the mass marriage on Friday.”
Sources said that Trikam was the nephew of the minister, and his 10-year-old son was set to be married at the mass marriage. The minister was sure to attend the marriage as it was a marriage in the family, they said.
When contacted for comments on Wednesdnay afternoon, CH Bhatt, district social security officer, who is the specially designated official to take legal action against child marriage, said he was not aware of it, but hastened to add that he would inquire into it and take necessary action in the matter.”