Young brides and grooms

I had heard of child marriages, even wrote about this social evil, but, a visit to Gangiredulla Gudum in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh was indeed an eye-opener.
A beggar community that lives in this hamlet believed, until recently, in marrying off babies sleeping in their cradles.
It is a common sight to see school-going girl children in the one-room school in this village wearing mangalsutras (see the black bead necklace worn by the two girls in the picture), I was told before I visited the village and indeed, it turned out to be true.
My interaction with the ``married children'' was at times sad and at others even funny. The children knew they were married but did not know what it meant apart from the fact that they were asked to wear the mangalsutra and a red `bindi' all the time.
One boy, all of seven years and married for four years now was shying away from the camera when we tried to click him (extreme left). When asked if he was married, he sheepishly smiled and said, ``She has gone to another village. So, I don't know.'' I laughed with the other villagers at his reply, more so for the fact that this nomadic beggar community is now amused by a social evil it patronised for years.
The community has now stopped the practice of child marriage, completely.
As I spoke to people, I found that innumerable awareness sessions and health camps conducted by activists in this hamlet had helped in ending the practice. However, a young mother, Bothula, gave her own reason: “I don’t remember my wedding day as I was in the cradle on the day of my marriage, but I want my children to remember their marriages,’’ she said.