KANTHALOOR:Emulate tribals of Anchunadu villages in Devikulam in their way of seeking marriage alliances.
As opposed to the usual way of taking dowry from the girls, Anchunadu tribals demand money from the men who would like to marry.
“Sthreedhanam gives way to ‘purushadhanam’ in our way, a mode the so-called educated society has to learn,” said Mannan, a tribal leader here.
‘Purshadhanam’ represents the money the boy’s relatives would be obliged to pay at the time of seeking a girl’s hand.
Purushadhanam can be in kind too, but nothing less than 100 kg of food grains, said Mannan.
However, there are more to their marriage. Families must attend the function on the eve of the marriage, and must offer help in preparing the feast.
They have to go with knives and other ancillaries to help the family in cutting vegetables etc.
Those who are better-off should carry groceries and other articles required for the feast.
The tribals have imposed an unusual ban on the boys marrying outside their cast and leaving the village.
The advantage from such a law is curbing the boys drain or depletion in the number of boys, said Mannan.
Though they take on to binges occasionally, they would restrict themselves on liquor especially before the beginning of a temple festival.
They tie bands around the wrists 21 days ahead of a festival to remind them of the abstention from drinking and sex with women including their spouses.
None breaches the law as fear of some untold misery descended upon them. The violators would be ostracized too, said Mannan.
The hard-line attitude has even ended in a clash between two tribals in Karayoor and in the death of one sometime back.
In Idukki, the tribal settlements spread across four regions in Devikulam taluk and one spilling into the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, making a total of 750 families.
Most of them have backward community status in Tamil Nadu, but they are also trying to enlisted into the OBC list of Kerala, said S Madhavan, president of Kanthaloor panchayat.
In spite of a promise fromthe government, nothing has happened so far, he said.
The tribals living in Kerala region are said to be expelled from Tamil Nadu when the Madurai king Thirumalainaicker was defeated by Tippu Sultan in 18th century. However, they formed five tribal villages in the border areas of Kanthalloor, Keezhanthur, Karayur, Marayur and Kottakudi for a living.