Marriage has always been a tedious affair with prerequisites that seem a little outdated for today’s world. And one such prominent requisite, caste, has been a crucial aspect of consideration. But Anantapur stands witness to a slow albeit definite change in the society with increasing inter-caste marriages owing to various factors.
“Recently, I was approached by a close friend of mine from Kamma caste for an alliance,” said a professor belonging to the Reddy caste, on condition of anonymity. A Congress leader gave his son in marriage to a girl from the Boya community and the marriage was an arranged one. Such instances, though not new, are frequent nowadays and there is a conspicuous change in people’s attitude towards marriage.
Inter-caste marriage is no more a taboo, unlike in the earlier days. Sainath, a veteran journalist, says something that was considered a taboo became a ‘matter of concern’ later and now, as reality dawned on many, it’s just about convenience.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Sainath says that marriages are driven by economic considerations in the district and what matters most is the societal status than caste. Many educated youhts, who tend to migrate to cities, look for a compatible partner who not only can shoulder responsibilities but help achieve financial stability to live a decent life.