25
2014
24
2014
In the irst phase, Badis married within their own community. But when they became migratory, , they did not give away their daughters in marriage, but
rather made her a prostitute. hen Badi men began to marry women of other groups. his is the reason for celebrating the birth of a daughter, because a
family with many daughters will have enough to eat without much hardship. However, it is common that only if there is no MBD will a Badi man ind
another girl to marry.
Child marriage has been practiced by Badi from ancient times. When Badi girls went to kings,
mukhiya, and the rich and powerful, they were sexually exploited. Later, when they were migratory and begged from village to village, they again
were sexually exploited, and some married. In that phase, the mother would ind a rich man to have her daughter delowered when she began her menses,
in a process called nathuni kholnu opening a nose ring, so they were sexually
exploited from an early age. Badis are still practicing this tradition. A Badi man in Rakam says that girls are given away in marriage at 14 or 15 because they
cannot aford to send them to school and because they fear that girls will adopt the occupation of prostitution. his is relected in the perception that men aged
20 are considered old.
here are rare cases when men of another caste have married Badi women and lived happily. his is mostly observed among men of Indian origin. hey are
kept mostly as concubines. Some Badi men had inter-caste marriage, usually elopements.
Badi women are kept for six months to one year by males from other castes for sexual pleasure. None of the Badi women have been wives. . A Badi activist of
Dang says there are many such women, but they cannot be named. Once in Rakam VDC, a Badi political activist went with an elder to another non-Badi
political activist’s home to propose her daughter for marriage, but they were ridiculed and shamed. hat is why it is felt there is little chance of standard
arranged marriage between Badis and non-Badis.
3.3.1 Elopement
If a marriage is arranged within one’s community, then there is standard marriage. But if it is an inter-caste marriage, then there is elopement. But now
elopements are also taking place within the Badi community. Badi girls are excluded from education due to illiteracy and poverty. here are no educated
persons in Badi in Rakam VDC apart from two who have passed SLC. Many children of school-going age have been found to have gone for labor work
because it is diicult for them to survive if they do not work. hey added that the parents would come home from work having spent more than they had
earned. Parents do not give away daughters in marriage because children are considered breadwinners, so girls and boys elope. hat is why elopement is
increasing among the Badis.
3.3.2 Jaari
Jaari is prevalent in Badi. In the past, because there was no law, a husband had the right to kill his wife if she eloped with another man. his was called
jaar sadhne. Although there was jaar system, there was no jaar sadhne. he rivalry
may be within the tole locality or between toles. he mediation of a jaar case is
similar to that in other communities. In the past, there used to be a
chaukidaar guard in the village. He would be sent to the adulterer and would contact the chief of the village. hen, they
would set a date for both sides to meet. he cuckold would demand an amount greater than that spent on their marriage, but there would be negotiations on
the price and resolution of the dispute. According to a senior Badi of Rakam, there is no diference between
jaari of the past and that of the present except that there is no rivalry or
jaari sadhne. As far as possible, the matter is resolved within the community itself, if not, respectable persons are called for arbitration.
Legal complaint is iled as a last resort. About a month ago in Rakam, a 50-year- old Badi woman eloped with a man of another village of Surkhet district. he
cuckold tried to resolve it within his own community, but he failed, even after mediation by respected persons of the village. hen he iled a complaint at the
police. Badis, both husband and wife, are suspicious of one another. A Badi woman can never roam in the bazaar alone. It is explained that this is why there
is a prevalence of the jaari tradition. Nowadays as many Badi men work abroad, this tradition has been spreading.
3.3.3 Force Marriage
In forced marriages, the man or woman does not know that they are getting married, and parents force children to marry. In the past girls would be taken
forcefully when they reached puberty.
27
2014
26
2014
3.3.4 Widow marriage
When a man is widowed, after performing the funeral rites of his wife for 15 days, he goes to his in-laws. he in-laws receive him with rituals. If he is of marriageable
age, he can marry from the day he is welcomed there. His irst choice will be his deceased wife’s sister
sali, and the in-laws are also generally willing to give the daughter away in marriage. If there is no
sali, then he may marry another woman. Similarly, a widow should observe mourning for either 35 days or 6 months
by wearing white clothes. After the end of the mourning period barkhi, she
may wear anything except sindoor. A widow may “stay in dharma,” that is, may
not remarry for life. A widow observes barkhi for six months and wears white
clothes for life. But she may remarry and then wear red or other clothes.
3.3.5 Divorce
he divorce process now is somewhat diferent from what it used to be in the past. In the past, if a husband and wife wanted to separate, they would call their
parents or closest relatives, along with 12 respectable persons in the village from the Badi community. he husband and wife would be asked if they deinitely
wanted the divorce. If they agreed, the
maji of the village would declare that they were no longer husband and wife by striking red berries 12 times with a
stick. hey warn the couple that whoever does not obey the decision the 12 Badis would go to hell
sat jani. hen, they would make the divorce paper. Until now, there is a tradition of conducting a divorce by gathering people of
the community. If there are complex problems, they go to court.
3.3.6 Taboos
here are many taboos and restrictions in Badi culture. For example, one should not stand at the door because the door is a place of worship, and witches chant
their mantra standing on the door. Similarly, if a black cat crosses the road when one sets out for a long journey, one should proceed only after backing
three steps or after someone else has walked on the road. Also, on such occasion others should not ask him where he is going and should stay away from him.
It is believed that the black cat is a witch in disguise, and it would caste bad spell over the journey so that the purpose would remain unfulilled. Also, a son
should not shave his mustache when his parents are alive. Only after a parent dies should he shave, and then he should shave all the hair from the body. One
should not sneeze in an auspicious moment. When winnowing rice or grains, one should not sit nearby, it may cause blindness.
3.3.7 Pollution
