This story is from April 22, 2015

A village where ‘ghar jamais’ thrive

Kaushambi’s Karari township has a special mohallah by the name of “Damado Ka Purwa.” Here, sons-in-law stay at their father-in-law’s house and offer them a helping hand in their professions. Defying tradition of girls’ ‘vidaai,’ this village keeps its girls back, and get their husbands over instead. Around 60 families are currently residing in the purwa, many of them Muslims.
A village where ‘ghar jamais’ thrive
Kaushambi’s Karari township has a special mohallah by the name of “Damado Ka Purwa.” Here, sons-in-law stay at their father-in-law’s house and offer them a helping hand in their professions. Defying tradition of girls’ ‘vidaai,’ this village keeps its girls back, and get their husbands over instead. Around 60 families are currently residing in the purwa, many of them Muslims.
“It’s about 35 years old tradition wherein the girls, whose marriages are solemnized in neighbouring districts like Kanpur, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, or Banda don’t go to their husband’s native place and instead settle in ‘Damado ka Purwa’ (popularly known as Damado ka Mohallah) with their husbands,” said Haji Owais, a resident of Karari, who himself is son-in-law of a local.
“Originally, the place was known as Hingulpur. The tradition started when one Kamruddin of the village solemnized his daughter’s marriage and asked the newly-weds to settle in the village itself. He also invited his son-in-law Ullah Ansari of Fatehpur to join his business. The ‘experiment’ was a success as both family ties as well as family business thrived. The news spread and gradually others of the village started following the tradition and currently over 60 such families are living in the village’s ‘Damado ka Purwa’,” explained a local.
“Agar ghar ke beti ghar mai rahe toh who thik tareh se parivar ki deekh-bhal kar sakti hai (It’s good if daughters stay in their own town after marriage as they can take care of the family in a better way),” said one Masroof, whose daughter and son-in-law are staying with him.
“I married off my daughter three years back and she along with her husband and kid was living just five-minute walk from our house,” he added, laughing off the idea of ‘ghar jamai’ gaining acceptance.
“We feel happy and share our joy and sorrows with our parents with whom we live. Rehana, a native of Karari township, said adding, “after my marriage in neighbouring Fatehpur district, I along with my husband preferred to stay back in my parental village.”
An official posted in the area, Purnendu Singh, said: “Over 60 families are staying in ‘Damado ka Mohallah’. Most of the men here have come from outside and made it their home and run small businesses like dairies, general stores, vending, etc. It’s a unique tradition which is unheard of anywhere else.”
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About the Author
Kapil Dixit

Kapil Dixit is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications. He has covered crime at regional as well as state level. His hobbies include reading, writing and meeting people with diverse interests.

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