Rot in the society

Pakadua Vivah is a symptom of the deeper malaise of dowry and casteism

It is said marriages are made in heaven but that can't be said in the case of parts of Bihar where there has been a spike in bridegroom abductions for forced marriages. ‘Pakadua Vivah' or marriage by abduction is the way an increasing number of marriages are taking place in the State. The ‘tradition' works like this — the bride's family zero-in on a prospective groom (usually from middle-class and high caste families) who has a secure job, abduct him and force him into a marriage ceremony, sometimes even at gunpoint. This manner of getting hooked up has been rampant in Bihar since the 1980s. According to official data, over 3,400 grooms were abducted and forced into marriages last year. The numbers have, in fact, witnessed a steady upward trend in recent years. From 2,526 cases in 2014, there were about 3,000 cases in 2016 and 3,070 in 2016. Consequences of this worrying trend are not too far to fetch. What is not available is data to discern how many of these marriages survive, and at what cost.

At the root of the problem lies the social practice of boys' families demanding dowry far beyond the capability of the brides' families from the same caste group to pay. Unable to fulfill the demands for exorbitant dowry, and unwilling to let the girls in their family remain unmarried, many families started resorting to abducting boys for marriage rather than giving in to penury-inducing dowry demands. Aiding and abetting this phenomenon is the lack of social sanction for inter-caste marriages, which could be a way out for those boys and girls forced into a gunshot wedding because the marriage must be within the same caste. India is a young country and if its dream of a young Bharat has to come to fruition, we must look at what strengthens New India. Marriage must not be viewed by boys' families as a wealth-generating proposition; it is not an economic activity but a social activity which should generate a healthier social future and not a better economic future based on an exploitative relationship between the two families. Until society changes its mindset, malpractices such as ‘Pakadua Vivah' will continue to ruin the lives of young men and women.