THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY March 10, 1956

Letters to the Editor or taking are well-known to all, but there is no formal list in anyone's mind and the list can al­ Hypergamy in India ways be extended. (I owe this in- 'formation to the kindness of Dr. McKim Marriott). MY essay "Regional Differences reports the existence of "several in Customs and Village Institu­ middle-aged Kulins who were known (3) Regarding hypergamy tions'' (Economic Weekly, Feb. 18, to have had more than a hundred I would like to add that the majority 1956, pp. 215 fif.) has resulted in my wives each, and to have spent their of are endogamous and receiving from a Bengali friend a lives on a round of visits to their only a few are hypergamous. very interesting letter on Kulin hy­ -in-law. For each they M N Srinivas pergamy. I will quote relevant ex­ had received a handsome bride­ M S University, tracts from the letter: "Kulins groom-price diminishing in amount Baroda came down by marrying below their with the number of wives they had Feb. 28, 1956. status, and it was a point of honour at the time of the ; they for my lineage (who formed a made what they could out of each separate sect by themselves, Kap, as periodical visit and they asked no National Institute the founder broke away from his questions about the children". (See T have read with pleasure and profit and even performed the H. H. Risley, The People of India, your comments in your latest father's shraddha while the latter Calcutta, 1915, Second Edition, pp. issue on the desirability of starting was alive) to secure Kulin bride­ 166-7.) a National Institute of Social grooms for our girls. To this end It is likely that the type of alli­ Sciences in India. I looked once they made grants of lineage land to ance my friend has described would more at your issue of October 15, the grooms, who, on marriage, left be monogamous the groom stayed 1955 to fortify my faith in the pro­ their natal and joined us with his wife's folk and owed his ject. It is an excellent idea indeed, as ghar jamais it was infra dig livelihood to them. And the lathi­ and does one's heart good to know for a girl of my lineage to go to her als were there to see that he didn't that it "is finding increasing support affinal home on marriage. try to marry again. In the situation in quarters that matter". My own impression would, however, tally "A Kulin came down in status by described by Risley on the other hand, the man stayed with his natal with what you have printed in bold contracting such a marriage. But letters, viz., "And the tragedy of it he did it because he wanted land. kin' and only went for short periods is that, there is no awareness at all In order to save his race, however, to his numerous affines. of this problem in the country (the things were arranged in such a In all cases of hypergamy, the frittering away of the energies of way that he was 'captured' by the women of the top group have a the few first-rate social scientists bride's people, and taken away hard time. They have to choose in the country) either at the Govern­ against his will. The groom was from a very limited circle of men mental level or, what is even worse, whisked away in a fast boat in for whom there is severe competition, at the academic level". Surely, you which there were drummers, priests, and the laws of demand and supply must be knowing better what these and all the other essentials of a therefore come into operation. quarters that matter are. If these marriage. There was also a party (2) There is a 'blind spot' in the be the government or foreign founda­ of luthials (fighters carrying long village hypergamy of north India tions then, in my view, it would be bamboo sticks and cane wicker-work which I may mention here. As I shields) in the boat to complete the better to ring the curtain down on said in my essay, a village always Fundamental Social Research be­ simulation of capture. The groom's receives girls in marriage from cer­ party gave chase in another boat, fore the actors put on their grease­ tain other villages which it regards paint and the pit is filled. By defini­ which also carried several lathials. as inferior, and it in turn gives its But it kept a respectable distance tion, government is instrumentalist; girls to superior villages. But, it wants results and quick results. from the other boat till the com­ very rarely, it happens that a superi­ pletion of the marriage rites was And the foreign foundations, as we or recipient village has given a know them, cannot but be empiricist. announced by the blowing of conch- daughter to another village which shells, They want to help us in a concrete, is regarded as inferior by the first visible way and show results to the "This probably led to a prepon­ village in the series. To put it in a authorities at home. So the acade­ derance of women over men among simpler way: superior village B mic bodies remain. They all want Kulins which in turn resulted in takes girls from village A and has research but they are mostly busy and old maids". (Bold given a girl in marriage to C from in making it impossible. Their best mine). which A has received a bride. intentions are frustrated by coaxing My correspondent is a non-Kulin The breaking of the hypergamous the powers that be to grant money, Brahmin as may be guessed from chain in this way results in an an- and when money is made available, his letter, and I am grateful to him amoly. But such instances are ex­ by stupid administrative details. By for bringing the above facts to my tremely rare and they remain un­ the time that the project gets going, notice. But I wonder whether the known because of the great distances the original fine frenzy has turned situation he has described was wide­ involved and the differences in the into lassitude. Yet, one senses a spread- my guess is that it was spread of marriage ties. A few of general awareness of the need of either the custom of his lineage or the villages constantly supplying social research in the air. Only, it was at best confined to a few wealthy is yet too general, too vague, in lineages in East Bengal. For in­ *Because he kept his Kulin rank short, wishy-washy, fuzzy-wuzzy. So stance, Risley's description of Kulin unsullied by not marrying a non- Which are the quarters that matter? hypergamy is quite different. He Kulin girl—Ed, And then this matter of Funda- 297