Dharmasthala high priest Veerendra Heggade's concept of mass marriages gets popular

Heggade: 'It makes me so happy'A full moon cast its silvery shadow over the quiet flowing Netravati. Nestled on its hilly banks, Dharmasthala, a unique religious centre, reverberated to the chantings of mantras and ringing of temple bells. The time: 8.52 p.m., May 19, when 421 bashful bridegrooms in unison tiedmangalsutrasaround the necks of their misty-eyed brides as Veerendra Heggade, the young high priest of the centre, officiated.The public school educated 32-year-old Heggade had much to be happy about. Like an anxious parent supervising his children's wedding, Heggade had for the past two months been meticulously preparing for the mass wedding, bearing all the ceremonial costs - clothes and jewellery included - amounting to Rs 1.6 lakh in all. By the time the colourful ceremony was over at 9.30 p.m., Dharmasthala had united in matrimony 3,625 couples, spread over the past 11 years.Situated in South Kanara district, 400 km from Bangalore, Dharmasthala is a famous pilgrim centre. For centuries it has been managed by the Heggade family. Veerendra Heggade took charge at the young age of 20 when his father Rathnavarma Heggade died in 1968. For several decades now the temple has fed and provided free shelter to about 5,000 devotees who pay homage every day to Lord Shree Manjunatheswara in the temple located in its precincts.Heggade is a religious head for the surrounding districts and people come from miles around to settle their civil disputes, marital tussles or to seek monetary help. They never go back empty-handed. The youthful Heggade told India Today: "We know the poor can't afford to spend and we don't want the rich to spend either."Popular: The idea of conducting mass marriages occurred to him in 1972 when he found his own staff borrowing money for their wedding expenses, unable to repay the loans. So in the same year he conducted 88 weddings and found it a highly successful and inexpensive exercise.Said Heggade: "When the poor take loans for their weddings they usually spend a lifetime returning it. But by conducting the marriage free for them, not only do they avoid getting into debt but the daughters can marry at an early age before they go astray. You know the social stigma attached to an unmarried girl above 21 years in this country." His mass marriage concept is becoming popular judging from the increasing number of couples coming every year.Planning for this year's wedding began two months ago. Announcements were made in each district and advertisements inserted in local papers. The couples had to register by May 5, two weeks before the wedding day.Crowds waiting to receive free sarees and dhotis (left) and couples assembled before the ceremony: Cutting down on expensesThe gap is provided in case couples have a change of mind. While registering, not only the parents' consent, but a bonafide certificate from the panchayat secretary is also necessary. While caste is no barrier, eloping couples are not allowed to register.While the registration was on, preparations for the wedding began. Orders for 450 mangalsutras were placed with the local goldsmiths. In addition thalis were made from silver and gold from the temple offers, each worth Rs 175. Bridal sarees and blouses and grooms' dhotis and shirts were bought, each set costing around Rs 85. These were distributed on the morning of the wedding.The temple has about 600 rooms for lodging and these were kept free. Each couple was allowed to bring only 10 relatives, to avoid overcrowding and additional costs. The total expenses per couple worked out to be around Rs 400. The only thing couples are expected to pay for is their fare to Dharmasthala. Dharmasthala gets most of its money from voluntary contributions made by the devotees. The temple collection is around Rs 8,000 a day. Said Heggade: "I have no bank balance. There are only two columns in my account books: money received and money spent."Varied Castes: A unique aspect of the mass weddings is that they are not restricted to any particular community. Harijans, Brahmins, Gowdas, Billavas and other caste groups come together on the occasion in a spirit of friendliness. This year 67 couples were Harijans, the largest number, followed by the Billavas and Poojaris with 58. Brahmins held four marriages. Interestingly two inter-caste marriages were also held. While the various caste groups mingle freely before the ceremony, to accommodate the distinctive marriage rituals of each caste separate tents are provided for the actual ceremony.Most of the grooms at last month's weddings were either coolies or agricultural labourers and came from all parts of Karnataka. Asked why they preferred to get married at Dharmasthala? Thimmiah, a 24-year-old agricultural labourer from a nearby taluk said: "We are poor. We have to spend almost Rs 2,000 if we do it ourselves. How can we afford the amount? Here our cost is only Rs 100."Most of the couples arrived only on the wedding day and 25 state buses were specially chartered to transport them. As the muhurtham time neared, tension and excitement ran high. The goldsmiths had not yet handed over the mangalsutras and a worried Heggade kept sending his staff to collect them.An hour before the muhurtham a couple rushed to him saying they had been delayed because they had missed the bus. Heggade gave them their sarees and dhotis and asked them to get ready for the wedding. Frantic announcements were being made either for a missing bride or groom, while their parents anxiously searched in the huge crowd.Three minutes before the muhurtham the announcer began the countdown. On the dot of 8.52 p.m. the grooms were asked to tie the thalis while their relatives clapped and cheered. Wiping the sweat off his brow, a tired Heggade said: "It makes me so happy to see so many happy couples. This moment is worth all the expenses."MINORS: CRADLE MATCHING Marriages celebrated with pomp always draw curious onlookers, especially if they are in a village. But residents of Kuraj, 80 km from Udaipur, were more than surprised to find two minor girls in the wedding mandap.Eight-year-old Sheela and 12-year-old Manju who found their life mates last fortnight happened to be the daughters of Rajasthan Minister of State for Mines Nanna Lal.The grooms Narendra Kumar, 10, and Devi Lal, 12, may not fit the general conception of eligible bachelors, but the regal style of wedlock would have made even the unattached adults envy them.The entire village was spruced up for the occasion. Fresh gravel on the streets ensured a "red carpet" look. Then there were coloured bulbs, three bands, shehnai and to make the event more livelier, a dance party from Udaipur.Ayodhya being adorned: Shrewd economicsTo keep off unwanted visitors and also provide security to the expected VIPs, 35 policemen, more than half the strength of the nearby police post, were requisitioned. Some more police came in accompanying State Minister for Famine Relief Hanuman Prabhakar.Lala and Ayodhya: Blissful ignoranceMany officials from the mines department and contractors also graced the ceremony. The menu: three sweets,dahi vadas, namkeen sev, three vegetables,beedies, cigarettes andchillums.Child marriage is prohibited under law, but then prosecutions are rarely launched as the arrangement is worked out between consenting elders. A minister being party to such an event, is of course, a different matter. When a Rajasthan daily published photographs of the double marriage, police could not feign ignorance. According to IGP G.C. Singhvi the police were "examining" the whole issue.In another recent case six-year-old Lala and four-year-old Ayodhya became husband and wife. Blissfully ignorant of what it was all about, Lala could not suppress a yawn while the young bride beside him sat with a bored look throughout, the affair. Thousands of such child marriages were solemnised during May in the Rajasthan districts of Ajmer, Bikaner and Jaipur.Behind the cruel custom that cuts short the joys of childhood is the seamy role played by the pundits and the influential sarpanches.Kundalis (horoscopes) are matched by the scheming pundits promising ideal alliances. More often than not, consent is forced upon the gullible parents.Disposing off a four-year-old girl appears a better economic proposition than getting her married at 16. Even to raise funds on a small scale the poor parents have to sell or mortgage their tiny piece of land to the greedy moneylenders. The expenses on Ayodhya's wedding for instance, along with her sister's came to nearly Rs 5,000.That was adequate to feed the baraatis, to buy some silver or imitation jewellery and utensils. An elder girl would have cost more heavily in terms of dowry and presents for the bridegroom.Hurdles in the way of ending the evil practice are:Little attempt on the part of the official machinery to enforce the law governing child marriages.Tendency of the police to turn a blind eye when specific instances are brought to their notice.Politicians' blessings for the custom lest they fall foul of the orthodox villagers, the main voters.Cynical attitude towards social workers trying to enlighten the rural fold on the harmful effects of cradle marriage.Most of the villagers seem oblivious to the perils of religious sacrifice of children at the altar of marriage. Ayodhya, for example, would see her husband again only after many years - when he has sprouted a moustache and is also in a position to look after a family.What happens if Lala, during one of his playful dives into the village pond, gets drowned? He would leave behind a young, bewildered widow. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 22, 2014 12:47 IST--- ENDS ---

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Dharmasthala high priest Veerendra Heggade's concept of mass marriages gets popular

The idea of conducting mass marriages occurred to him in 1972 when he found his own staff borrowing money for their wedding expenses, unable to repay the loans. So in the same year he conducted 88 weddings and found it a highly successful and inexpensive exercise.

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