2 Himachal brothers adopt dying tradition of polyandry by tying knot to woman
Bride Sunita Chauhan and grooms Pradeep and Kapil Negi said they took the decision without any pressure.
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Local folk songs and dances added colour to the ceremony that began on July 12 and lasted for three days in Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district. Videos of the wedding ceremony have gone viral on the internet.
Sunita, who hails from Kunhat village, said that she was aware of the tradition and made her decision without any pressure, adding she respects the bond they have formed.
Pradeep, from Shillai village, works in a government department while his younger brother Kapil has a job abroad.
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"We followed the tradition publicly as we are proud of it and it was a joint decision," said Pradeep.
Kapil said he may live abroad, but through this marriage, "we're ensuring support, stability and love for our wife as a united family".
"We've always believed in transparency," he added.
Hatti is a closed-knit community in the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border and was declared as Scheduled Tribe three years ago. In this tribe, polyandry was in vogue for centuries, but due to rising literacy among women and economic uplift of communities in the region, cases of polyandry were not reported.
Such marriages are being solemnised in a clandestine manner and accepted by the society but instances are fewer, elders in the village said.
The first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Y S Parmar did research on this tradition and completed his Ph.D on the topic "Socio-economic background of Himalayan Polyandry" from Lucknow University.
According to experts, one of the main considerations behind the tradition was to ensure that the ancestral land was not divided while the share of tribal women in the ancestral property is still a main issue.
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Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
2 bros, their bride keep rare polyandry alive in Himachal Pradesh
Kullu: Embracing their age-old polyandry custom, two brothers and a woman from the Haati community have entered a wedlock in the remote trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh — a rarity for being openly celebrated, and special for giving the woman the freedom to choose which husband she'll live with. Brothers Pradeep Negi and Kapil Negi married Sunita Chauhan, a resident of Kunhat, in Shillai village of Sirmaur district in a three-day function that concluded on July 14. Hundreds of villagers and relatives witnessed the marriage ceremony and participated in the function, which concluded with Pradeep, Kapil, and Sunita taking to the wedding stage and dancing together to traditional folk songs as village elders blessed the throuple. While Pradeep is employed with the Jal Shakti department, Kapil works abroad in the hospitality sector. Sunita has completed her training from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI). "It's a moment of great joy for all the Haati community members. We are feeling proud because our educated youth are not only keeping our old traditions alive but also setting an example. There are many such secretive marriages in our community, but these three youngsters created history by marrying publicly," said Hira Singh, a relative of the grooms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "The decision to marry was taken by the grooms and the bride together. It was their collective wish, and no one was forced to do anything," Singh added. The Giri river divides Sirmaur district into two almost equal parts. The Haatis mostly live in 154 panchayats of the five tehsils of the trans-Giri region — Shillai, Sangrah, Kamrau, Rajgarh, Nohradhar, and the two sub-tehsils of Ronahat and Pajohta. Known for their distinctive culture and unique traditions, the Haatis number around three lakh in Sirmaur district, and a total of 14 castes — including the Scheduled Castes, OBCs, and the general category — are part of the community. According to Amichand Kamal, the president of the Kendriya Haati Samiti (KHS), which led a successful decade-long campaign to get the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Haati community, the polyandry custom is practised mainly to prevent land division. "Polyandry was a norm in tribal societies, including the Haati community, as it prevented the fragmentation of ancestral land and stopped widowhood. Also, a woman enjoys more freedom under this custom as she can choose her husbands as well as leave them without anybody questioning her decision," said Kamal. He further said polyandry was not rare, but the number of such marriages had dropped significantly. "Polyandry is a socially acceptable custom in the Haati community, and though primitive, such matrimonial alliances are perfectly legal in tribal societies. The number of such alliances has come down over the centuries, but it's not a rare phenomenon as people still marry but maintain secrecy," said Kamal. Polyandry was also prevalent in Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur, but over the last few decades, such marriages have become extremely rare in these two tribal districts. "The custom of polyandry has almost ended in Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur, mainly due to the rise of nuclear families and people's migration from tribal areas to neighbouring districts. There has also been a gradual shift from agriculture to the service sector in these two districts," said Shamsher Singh, a research scholar on folk art and a resident of Lahaul Spiti. "The custom, however, still exists, though in a very weak form in Sirmaur's trans-Giri area and the neighbouring Jaunsar-Bawar region of Uttarakhand mainly due to a strong influence of the epic Mahabharata on their culture," said Shamsher. "In the Haati community, there are those who believe they are the descendants of Kauravas and there are others who say Pandavas were their ancestors. This huge influence of Mahabharata, especially the marriage of the five Pandavas to Draupadi, continues to reflect in Haati customs," he added. MSID:: 122797318 413 |
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
2 brothers, 1 bride: Hatti youth revive polyandry in HP
Pradeep (left) and Kapil Negi (right) with their bride, Sunita Chauhan (centre) KULLU: A woman has married two brothers in the remote trans-Giri region of Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, drawing cheers from the local Hatti tribe for upholding their traditional ways. Pradeep and Kapil Negi, brothers from Shillai village, wed Sunita Chauhan of Kunhat village in a three-day ceremony that ended on July 14. The trio shared the wedding stage, danced to traditional folk music, and received blessings from village elders as hundreds of relatives and locals looked on - in a rare public affirmation of the ancient custom of polyandry. Pradeep works with Jal Shakti department. Kapil is employed in the hospitality sector overseas. Sunita is a trained technician from an industrial training institute (ITI). "This is not just a marriage - it's a moment of pride," said Hira Singh, a relative of the grooms. "Our educated youth have shown the courage to embrace what many keep secret. They've set an example." Polyandry remains a socially accepted practice among the Hatti community, which numbers about 300,000 in Sirmaur and is spread across five tehsils and 154 panchayats, including Shillai, Sangrah, Kamrau, Rajgarh, and Nohradhar. Amichand Kamal, president of Kendriya Haati Samiti said, "Polyandry was the norm in tribal societies as it protected land holdings and avoided widowhood. A woman has more freedom-she can choose her husbands and leave them without stigma."What made this wedding stand out wasn't the custom - but its visibility. "Polyandry may seem primitive to outsiders, but it's legal in our context. Usually these marriages happen quietly," Kamal said. "But this one was public. That makes it powerful." The tradition was once widespread across tribal belts like Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur. But as nuclear families grew and youth migrated toward city jobs, the practice withered. "It has nearly vanished in Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur," said Shamsher Singh, a research scholar on folk art from Lahaul-Spiti. "But in trans-Giri and Jaunsar-Bawar of Uttarakhand, it survives, largely because of the Mahabharata's cultural imprint." Many Hattis believe they descend from the Kauravas or Pandavas. "That belief still echoes in our valleys," Singh said. That belief is more than a custom - it's a legacy. Once in a while, that legacy walks down the aisle to a folk tune.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Two brothers marry the same woman in Himachal: What is the age old custom of Hatti?
India is well known across the world for its diverse cultures and traditions, where each state has cultures woven deep into the fabric of time, belief, history, and rich legacy. Following the same traditions in Himachal Pradesh, a recent marriage in Shillai village of the state has caught national attention. In a culturally rich three-day ceremony, two brothers from a specific tribe married the same woman, following an age-old custom. Surprisingly, the decision was openly embraced rather than hidden, inviting us to know how impactfully a cultural practice can shape community values and family life in the remote regions. What exactly happened? Recently, two brothers from Himachal Pradesh's Hatti tribe, named Pradeep and Kapil Negi, married the same woman, Sunita Chauhan of Kunhat village, by a culturally important polyandrous ceremony. The three-day event was held in Shillai village of Sirmaur district and saw hundreds of villagers participate along with performances of folk songs, traditional dances, and local rituals, as per local reports. According to reports from PTI, the couple stressed that the decision was mutual and made without external pressure. 'We followed the tradition publicly as we are proud of it and it was a joint decision,' Pradeep shared, while Kapil added, 'We're ensuring support, stability and love for our wife as a united family… We've always believed in transparency'. Sunita also said that her participation was voluntary. She said she was aware of the Hatti custom locally called 'Jodidara' or 'Jajda' and became a part of the union willingly, respecting the bond they had formed. What is this tradition all about? Polyandry in the Hatti community arose to prevent division of ancestral farmland, maintain family unity, and ensure joint responsibility in remote, agrarian settings. As Kundan Singh Shastri, general secretary of the Kendriya Hatti Samiti, explained, this tradition allowed for stronger security and unity among brothers working scattered plots in the mountainous terrain, 'If you have a bigger family, more men, you are more secure in a tribal society'. Although this practice remains rare today, it remains legally recognised under Himachal Pradesh's revenue laws as 'Jodidara.' Is polygamy legal in India? Although polyandry is not legally sanctioned under the Hindu Marriage Act, customary exceptions are allowed for certain tribal communities. The Hatti people were granted Scheduled Tribe status in 2022, providing limited legal protection for such customs.
