The twenty-something lad hails from a small town in Rajasthan.
He recently visited his hometown to handle an urgent issue.

A young lady in his family had been betrothed at a very early age.
Educated and grown up now, she refused the alliance.
Especially since the man in question had grown up to be a good-for-nothing.

Her family didn’t need convincing.
She had their full support.
The rest of the village was the where the trouble lay.

It seems he had to go to help his family convince the village council of elders.
The family faced ostracization if they stood their ground.

I do not know the outcome of this visit.
I hope it favoured the young lady and her family.

But it changed some perceptions I had.

I have been, off and on, following a tv series that deals with the issue.
And admittedly, I have wondered, at times, what is the point of having a series that reminds us of an issue that is symptomatic of an India that existed years back.

I am sure many others, who are as removed from the realities of inner India as I am, would have thought likewise.

The fact is, I realize, India is as progressive as it is stubborn in its refusal to let go of traditional practice that is retrograde.

The lunar dream stands attained.
But we are yet to take off in many fundamental ways.

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P.S. Here is a link to a film I found on the ICRW page.

The Bride Price: Consequences of Child Marriage Worldwide

A film by photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair – though not on Rajasthan.