Highlights
A group of tribal couples in Jharkhand who had chosen to be in a live-in relationship, more because of financial constraints, were formally married
The marriages of those 43 couples — known as dhuku in local parlance — all Christians, were solemnised by a group of three women pastors for the first time at a local stadium in Khunti
Staying with a man in a relationship, bearing their children without getting married, without any social acceptance and legal rights - this is an Adivasi tradition in Jharkhand, known as 'dhuku marriage'
Last weekend, nearly 45 couples received social recognition, something they have waited for their whole lives.
A group of tribal couples in Jharkhand who had chosen to be in a live-in relationship, more because of financial constraints, were formally married at the first of a series of functions that began in Khunti on February 14.
The marriages of those 43 couples — known as dhuku in local parlance — all Christians, were solemnised by a group of three women pastors for the first time at a local stadium in Khunti.
These couples are among 1,320 couples who would be formally married in batches as organising such mass marriage ceremonies is not possible because of current COVID restrictions.
Table of Contents
"A matter of pride"
What is Dhuku marriage
"A matter of pride"
Kusum is one among the three pastors who solemnised the marriages of Christian couples.
The 34-year-old pastor said that she is proud of the work they are doing by giving social recognition and acceptance to couples who are forced to live-in by society.
"I never dreamt that I will become a pastor one day. I wanted to pursue medicine but our means were limited. But doing social work gives me satisfaction," she says adding that it's a "god's blessing."
pastor kusum
Pastor Kusum (Left), Pastor Suralen (Center), and Pastor Saroj (Right) - The three pastors solemnised marriages of 43 Dhuku couples in Jharkhand
Kusum is unmarried and lives with her parents and brothers in Gari village in Khunti district. She is currently posted in Gobindpr and will complete a year here in two months.
She says that she received a call from a senior pastor about the mass marriage and was encouraged to take up the job and responsibility of solemnising the marriage.
"It is a matter of pride that we got them married," she says, adding that if men could be pastors, women could be too. "We must empower ourselves in every possible way."
Nikita Sinha, founder of Nimitta, an NGO that has organised marriages of hundreds of such couples in the past says that getting them married is no small feat.
"There are over 1000 marriages that need to be officiated by the end of March. Neary 500 of them are Christian marriages, and about 550 are Sarna marriages - a local tribal culture," she says.
She said that between 12th and 13th February, over 100 marriages were organised.
What is Dhuku marriage
Staying with a man in a relationship, bearing their children without getting married, without any social acceptance and legal rights - this is an Adivasi tradition in Jharkhand, known as 'dhuku marriage'.
According to the tribal community norm, the woman is recognised as ‘Dhukni’ and the man is called 'Dhukua'.
It is a civil cohabitation and is approved before and after pregnancy and even after the birth of children. But dhuku marriages are a social bane for tribals in Jharkhand.
dhuku-marriage
These couples are among 1,320 couples who would be formally married in batches.
The Munda, Oraon, and Ho tribes primarily practice Dhukna in tribal-dominated rural areas of Jharkhand, and such marriages have been flourishing in patriarchal tribal communities for centuries due to poverty and illiteracy.
Thousands of couples in the tribal villages of Jharkhand stay in live-in relationships because they fail to organise wedding parties.
While the couples in live-in relationships are never harassed, they are never given the respect they deserve, and women suffer the most. The women, dhukni, are not given the rights of a wife, they cannot apply sindoor, nor do they get a part in the husband’s ancestral property, if he dies.
Any children born out of this relationship too are not socially recognised. Getting a child's nose and ears pierced is a tradition in our society but children born out of Dhuku marriages are not allowed to get piercings. As a result, they are never socially recognised and accepted.
Dhuku marriage is a compulsion, not a choice, and tribals for centuries have been deprived of basic social recognition and respect because of poverty.
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