Madikeri: In a bizarre move, the Balele Kodava Samaja has decided not to support inter-caste weddings among the Kodava youth.
Considering the fact that inter-caste marriages have been having an adverse impact on several communities, including the Kodavas, the Kodava Samaja has said that no Kodava youth in general, and girls in specific, will be allowed to marry outside their community.
The ones who decide to go against this will have to face the repercussions.
Wedding halls will not be made available for such marriages and the couple will also be barred from wearing the traditional Kodava attire. They will also not be allowed to use the important ornaments, including the ‘Gejjethand’ during the wedding ceremony, informed Samaja President Malachira Bose Chittiyappa.
Supporting the decision, United Kodava Organisation President Manju Chinnappa said that despite the Indian Constitution giving right to adult individuals to marry the person of their choice, in Kodagu, this is causing serious issues. The trend of inter-caste marriages is putting the Kodava identity at stake.
With this, as many as 35 Kodava communities are likely to endorse the decision of the Balele Kodava Samaja.
