Haryana imports brides from other states

Bhiwani: Decades of female foeticide and infanticide have finally caught up with the people of Haryana. In what can be seen as fallout of the skewed sex ratio in Haryana, prospective grooms in the state are growing old in search of brides.

Driven by the low sex ratio in Haryana, the wannabe grooms in the state are going for bride-hunting to other states. Some of these brides have even been imported from non-Hindi states. The young brides belonging to a completely different culture, language are trying hard to come to terms with the tradition of their in-laws place in Haryana.

Several young men are passing their prime waiting for a prospective bride. Understanding the difficulties in finding brides for their boys, villagers are no more objecting to matrimonial alliance with the girls from other states, language and culture.

Bride-starved Haryana is now looking up to Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Chhattisgarh and even Kerala. In Bhiwani district, several young girls from Tripura and Assam married to Haryana men are adjusting in the alien world.

Over 250 brides from Bengal, Assam and Tripura have been brought to villages of Kanhra, Kishkandha, Dwarka, Bhandra, Badesra and Dagdauli.

The story doesn’t end here. Facing bride-shortage and surfeit of bachelors catching up with age, men are even paying high amount of Rs 25,000-30,000 for the brides.

Sohna of Assam got married to Baljeet of Nandgaon village three years back. She has two kids and claims to be happy here and leading a blissful conjugal life.

Mamata is yet another bride brought to Harayana from Tripura. Though she faced difficulty in adjusting to new the new world, but now she speaks fluent Haryanvi like the other women folk in her village.

Sarpanch of Nandgaon Pratap Singh says, “Several young men were unable to marry on time following which they passed their marrying age. Thus we had to bring brides for them from other states.”

One of the families in Achina village has brides of three generation from Tripura. It was learnt that Ghoghri, a young girl from Tripura was brought to the village 60 years back. She later found bride for her son and grandson from Tripura.

However, according to vice-president of Haryana Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Bimla Ghanghas, there are several issues nagging the brides brought from other states. “Besides facing difficulties in coming to terms with their in-laws, these brides are not getting the due respect. They feel betrayed and at times do not want to return to their in-laws place once they go to their parents’ place.”

Census 2011

Sex ratio in Haryana - 877
0-6 years sex ratio- 830
Country’s sex ratio - 940

JPN/Bureau