BALANGIR: Can dowry be human? Unbelievable, but true in royal tradition and culture which has been percolating down the ages.
When Balangir royal scion Kalikesh Narayan Singhdeo, Saintala MLA and son of Works Minister A U Singhdeo, tied the knot with Meghana Rana, a member of Rana royal family of Nepal, he got a family of seven Nepalese in dowry! The family accompanied the bride and they will be here for ever to serve Kalikesh and his wife.
Interestingly, long after the abolition of princely states and kingship, this royal family in Balangir has been following the royal tradition in all their social functions.
The Nepalese family is now settled in Balangir royal palace. Sources said Meghna’s father, Maj Gen Gourav Samser Jung Bahadur Singh Rana, as per the royal family culture, gifted in dowry the Nepalese family to take care of his daughter and son-in-law.
‘This is our tradition and this family has been permanently shifted to Balangir. In our tradition, the bride’s father among other things sends a family to take care of the bride and the groom as well,’ said Kalikesh. He said it is nothing new as even in normal Hindu marriages, the bride is accompanied by a maid to the house of groom and stays there for the initial few days. ‘However, in our royal tradition, they stay permanently with the bride.’