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Balika Vadhu: Child marriage and other issues
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India :
Since most of us enjoy a city life and come from sound educated backgrounds, we rarely get to visualize the advantages of such backings as compared to a villager or people from small towns. Although I don’t indulge in the daily soap fare, I happened to catch a few episodes of this serial, Balika Vadhu, where they potray the trials and tribulations of a 11-year old girl who gets married and goes to her in-laws house. Although the serial has been over-dramatized a bit, it really got me thinking that how fortunate we are to live in a modern society, where child-marriage is frowned upon.
My daughter is 9, and I cannot fathom her being a bride at that age and neither can I picture my 11-year old son bringing home a bride.
Unfortunately child-marriage still exists in the underbelly of our Indian society. As it is, the girl-child is looked down upon, and to top it off she is married off at a very tender age. To come to think of it, the government wanted to reduce the legal age of marriage!
Issues like this and the recent under-age Jain sadhvis are what educated people like Mr. Raj and ilk should focus on.
However, I hope a few of you can view a few episodes to understand my drift...
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RSS 
Yes, child marriages are a reality in many rural areas of our country and other countries like Ethiopia.
http://madkat70.instablogs.com/entry/child-marriages-still-a-tradition-in-ethiopia/
I haven’t seen this serial, I am not sure about the impact of popular media on rural India...but any effort to eradictate such practises are welcome...
It’ll be unfortunate if politicians politicise these issues and make our nation (by reducing legal age of marriage) take a step backward in Time...
Interesting post, Radhika.
http://madkat70.instablogs.com/entry/child-marriages-still-a-tradition-in-ethiopia/
I haven’t seen this serial, I am not sure about the impact of popular media on rural India...but any effort to eradictate such practises are welcome...
It’ll be unfortunate if politicians politicise these issues and make our nation (by reducing legal age of marriage) take a step backward in Time...
Interesting post, Radhika.
(Local Perspectives)
Hey Madhuri thanks for your comments. I didn’t know that Ethiopia too had this practice. Amazing how we want to progress but such serious issues are not yet resolved.
(Local Perspectives)
Hi Radhika, thanks for sending me the link. My dad had mentioned to me couple of times about this serial but I am completely out of them, so no dekho.
But the topic is very sad ... child marriage in this age do happen in some places and if you ask me, people responsible should be hanged since its as good as killing the kids. Had read some time back that a BJP politician had ”graced” a mass child marriage ceremony had in some place in Rajasthan... sick
But the topic is very sad ... child marriage in this age do happen in some places and if you ask me, people responsible should be hanged since its as good as killing the kids. Had read some time back that a BJP politician had ”graced” a mass child marriage ceremony had in some place in Rajasthan... sick
(Local Perspectives)
I was not aware of this mass child marriage Manish, However the serial is worth the watch, just to get a jist of what is happening our country. I feel so bad about this, because i have a daughter almost the same age and can’t picture her in that situation, so imagine what kids have to go through even in this age and times.
One one hand we rue about studies pressure and on the other hand this...
One one hand we rue about studies pressure and on the other hand this...
(Local Perspectives)
I am simply amazed at this concept of child marriage. I have to admit that, apart from what I’ve read about it, there is very little I know about it.
Is this inescapable in Indian culture and tradition?
If others can’t shake it off, how was it possible that others were able to escape this tradition?
I can imagine that this practice can only survive in more backward communities that are not really in the loop.
Is this inescapable in Indian culture and tradition?
If others can’t shake it off, how was it possible that others were able to escape this tradition?
I can imagine that this practice can only survive in more backward communities that are not really in the loop.
(Global Perspectives)
Grace you will be surprised to know that child marriages have been prevalent in India from a very long time.
Besides the cosmopolitan cities, smaller towns and villages still follow this custom. the girl is married off at a very tender age maybe 4-5 yrs. but is sent to her in-laws when she reaches puberty.
Besides the cosmopolitan cities, smaller towns and villages still follow this custom. the girl is married off at a very tender age maybe 4-5 yrs. but is sent to her in-laws when she reaches puberty.
(Local Perspectives)
There was a Bengali movie in late sixties with the same name. The plight of child bride have been written by Rabindranath Tagore, Sharad Chandra Chatterjee, Premchand, Jayshankar Prasad and many other writers.
Child marriages in Hindus in India are still prevalent in rural Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa and is on decline in West bengal, Bihar and a few other states. ASmongst Muslim Hyderabad tops the list, followed by Banglore. Education and financial security eradicates the social evil.
Child marriages in Hindus in India are still prevalent in rural Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa and is on decline in West bengal, Bihar and a few other states. ASmongst Muslim Hyderabad tops the list, followed by Banglore. Education and financial security eradicates the social evil.
(Local Perspectives)
I totally agree with you Rameshji. Education and eradication of poverty will resolve a lot of issues that plague our society. I recollect a movie of a similar name in Hindi which starred Sachin and Kajal I think.
(Local Perspectives)
Hello Radhika, sorry for the late reply. I really had not given a thought about child marriages lately, though at the back of my mind I knew it existed. But since we don’t see it, we assume it doesn’t exist. Its funny how laws are so ineffective and religious and traditional dogma still continues and such crimes continue to happen. My heart goes out to child brides and grooms.
(Local Perspectives)
We are at the brink of being a developed nation, but it’s sad to see that these issues still persist in our society. One one hand we talk of freeing child laborers, on the other hand we ignore the child marriage issue.
(Local Perspectives)
It is just as bad as child sex abuse or even worse, as it is seen as ’coorect’ by the family members and parents, so the child can’t escape the clutches at all and there is nobody to complain to. Our society is diseased and gangrened..
(Local Perspectives)
”child sex abuse or even worse,”
Couldn’t have described it better.
Couldn’t have described it better.
(Local Perspectives)
Radhika.. thanks for dropping the link.. u wouldnt believe that i felt like penning down about the same thing, but cudnt manage to find time..
I am glad that yu did..
Since few days i have been religiously watching this tv series and call me whateva.. i m in perfect love with this serial.. call it the proficiency of the creative team or just the substance of the issue, i just cant stop watching it!
I myself being a marwadi i can strongly resemble with the kinda of traditions and customs they have depicted..
what makes me applaud the director is that every episode ends with a guiding note for the audience..
the unmatched innocence of the child couple is simply mesmerizing..
as jaiyant has pointed out, its like child abuse, cuz before gurlz approach 18 they r forced to get pregnant. in the process, body becomes weak, miscarriages become often and in the end the gurl’s life is at risk..
its sad when a country like India is fast pacing towards the dream of a Super power, such old practices still makes us bounce back to reality :)
Thanks for the post..
I am glad that yu did..
Since few days i have been religiously watching this tv series and call me whateva.. i m in perfect love with this serial.. call it the proficiency of the creative team or just the substance of the issue, i just cant stop watching it!
I myself being a marwadi i can strongly resemble with the kinda of traditions and customs they have depicted..
what makes me applaud the director is that every episode ends with a guiding note for the audience..
the unmatched innocence of the child couple is simply mesmerizing..
as jaiyant has pointed out, its like child abuse, cuz before gurlz approach 18 they r forced to get pregnant. in the process, body becomes weak, miscarriages become often and in the end the gurl’s life is at risk..
its sad when a country like India is fast pacing towards the dream of a Super power, such old practices still makes us bounce back to reality :)
Thanks for the post..
(Local Perspectives)
Many thanks for dropping by Ruchi, like they say great minds think alike, hence this idea was toyed by u also!
I really like this serial, and do applaud the makers for coming up with an idea that makes us aware of the ineeficiency of our traditional values. This is one tradition that we can do without.
I really like this serial, and do applaud the makers for coming up with an idea that makes us aware of the ineeficiency of our traditional values. This is one tradition that we can do without.
(Local Perspectives)
Radhika you can butcher me for not commenting on this issue as soon as the link was up, but I wasn’t working to be honest. Apologize for reading it late:)
This is indeed the true picture of the
extreme rural tribes settled in India. For them, a girl child is a liability which has to be done away with at the earliest. It is a religious taboo to get the girl child married as early as possible. In certain cases, the marriages happen when the children are infants ( 2 to 5 years) and then when the girl turns 11, she is sent to her husbands place. They even get pregnant, when a girl of their age sits for a matriculation board exam in our urban centers.
This is indeed the true picture of the
extreme rural tribes settled in India. For them, a girl child is a liability which has to be done away with at the earliest. It is a religious taboo to get the girl child married as early as possible. In certain cases, the marriages happen when the children are infants ( 2 to 5 years) and then when the girl turns 11, she is sent to her husbands place. They even get pregnant, when a girl of their age sits for a matriculation board exam in our urban centers.
(Local Perspectives)
Dont b so hard on yourself Atul, You are allowed to go on a break..
LOl
but its good to see that you took the time out to comment here, and that’s what matters ultimately.
What you say above is very true, and hopefully this serial will make those people who indulge in such practices aware of their folly, Because in India education may not reach every dark corner, but TV will surely!
LOl
but its good to see that you took the time out to comment here, and that’s what matters ultimately.
What you say above is very true, and hopefully this serial will make those people who indulge in such practices aware of their folly, Because in India education may not reach every dark corner, but TV will surely!
(Local Perspectives)
This is not only for the girl child friends, young boys do also get married at tender age. Do you know, while India has the record of having oldest father (82 years, Rajashan), it has also the record of having youngest father and that is 15-yr old by from Rajasthan. I can’t think how parents can think of getting their little kids married at such early ages?
(Local Perspectives)
Thanks Sasmita for highlighting a different angle, in our talk of the deprived girl-child we totally forgot about the innocent boys as well. But thankfully they are treated in a better fashion. It takes two to tango, so lets asy its the plight of the children...
(Local Perspectives)
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I loved the little girl who has justified her role as Balika Vadhu. Her twinklign eyes and smile must have captured a million hearts across our country.
Such age-old practices still occur in our society for sure.