Mysuru: Even today most of the Mahouts and Kavadis’ daughters get married well before they are 12 to 13 years of age. There is rampant child marriage among Mahouts and Kavadi families.
Most of the girls, well before they get into high school, get married among their community persons. Few of the girls who are studying brought this exposed this and said this should be stopped for the betterment of the community and also the girls. The girls also mention that most of the parents are helpless as the girls themselves elope with whom the men of their interest.
When such is the prevailing scenario in the community, here are two girls from the same community Sangeetha and Swathi, daughters of elephant handlers, studying in ninth standard expressed their desire to become engineer and teacher respectively when they were in Mysuru Palace with their family members to celebrate Dasara. Speaking to Newskarnataka, 14-year-old Sangeetha, daughter of Mahout Chinnappa who was injured after a fall from elephant Prashanta after Dasara procession, said, “In our community, child marriage is rampant. Those who are younger than me too are getting married. But I want to do engineering and help my community especially the girls to take up studies instead of just getting married.”
Swathi, daughter of Rajamani who is working as Jamedar said, “Most of our community children are not much interested in going to school. Hence I want to become a teacher and educate my community people to take up education.”
