Patna: A village in Bihar has won laurels for launching a rare initiative of gifting ponds to daughters at the time of wedding so that the couple would be economically self-sufficient in case they fail to get jobs.
The Bakuli village in West Champaran district is dominated by Tharus — an ethnic group indigenous to the terrain in southern Nepal and northern India. A significant population of this community follows an eco-friendly culture.
Villagers said they start digging out ponds for their daughters once she attains marriageable age. Normally, the digging of ponds starts some four to five years before their marriage and they are finally gifted to the couple right at the time of wedding in the presence of guests. This helps the couple start their fisheries business after the wedding in the event of the boy not getting a job.
Rukmini Kumari is one such fortunate woman to have a flourishing fishing business and is now fondly addressed as “Pokhar-wali bahu” (pond-owning daughter-in-law). She was gifted a pond by her parents at the time of her wedding 12 years ago and now her family earns attractive income from fishing business. She is not alone. Parents of Sonam Kumari, Meera Kuamri and other girls from the village too are readying ponds for their daughters.
“We start digging out ponds some three to five years before the marriage of our daughters. At the time of their wedding, we hand the ponds to the couple. This is a small gift to our daughters from our side,” said local villager Hemraj Patwari with a smile on his face.
The All India Tharu Welfare Association president Deep Narayan Prasad said some 80 per cent families in the village own ponds. Another villager Pramod Kaji says the gifting of ponds not only adds to the respect of their daughters in the society but also helps them fight adversity in life, if any.
“I too have gifted a pond to my married daughter. Although she told me to take care of the pond, I don’t keep the income generated through fishing; I promptly give it to my daughter,” said Amrita Devi.
According to locals, some 40 villagers have dug out ponds so far. There are some villagers who own four to five ponds as this has now become a status symbol. The more gifting of ponds, the more the status of their daughters in the society, villagers said.
Meanwhile, a unique plantation drive by residents from Dharhara village in Bhagalpur district to celebrate the birth of every girl child in the family is gaining popularity. The villagers plant at least 10 fruit-bearing trees, mostly mangoes, to celebrate the birth. Girl children and their families nurse the trees which in turn solve their dowry woes.
Saplings planted at the time of their birth grow with the babies, and by the time the daughters attain marriageable age, these trees already would have boosted the family income by sale of fruits. The income from trees thus easily helps villagers get a groom of their choice.
At the same time, the practice of tree plantation has also checked female foeticide in and around the village, with more villages now joining the unique plantation drive to celebrate the birth of girl babies.
Significantly, girl babies are “unwelcome” in most parts of the country and their birth is considered to be bringing gloom in the family. As per 2011 census, Bihar has 916 females for every thousand males. This gender ratio is even more alarming in case of other Indian States like Haryana, notorious for honour killing which reports only 877 girls for every thousand males, Punjab (893 females), Uttar Pradesh (908) and Madhya Pradesh (930).
