50 YEAR OLD MAN WEDS 11 YEAR OLD GIRL AND PRICE FOR BRIDE IS CASH, BRANDY WITH BEER!

A 50 year Old man recently married an 11 year old girl. And that's not what's strange anymore, what with the recent spate of the child marriages reported. The groom paid a bride price- most unusual considering the continuing wider spread practice of dowry- but what stranger is that it was paid in the form of cash-and booze! The bridegroom Jayabal singh gave the father of the bride Radha (name changed) cash Rs 25,000 and two bottles of brandy and a large beer at the wedding ceremony on thursday at dawn. Apparently, neither custom is outrageous in the Narikkuravar (gypsy) settlement at Melanur, in Thiruvannamalai, 160 km from Chennai, Tamilnadu India. Apparently, according to gypsy customs, Radha returned to her parent's house after the marriage ceremony. Once she attains puberty, she may choose to either remain wedded to Jayabal or have the Karumani (sacred knot) removed and wed an other man later. Jayabal wed Radha, who has not yet attained puberty so that his family, which has been expelled from the community, is accepted into their community once again. As for the intoxicant bride price from marriage ceremony, it is safe to say it didn't last beyond the wedding feast. Now we are in the year 2011, but custom and tradition destroys so many young girls. Anyway this message create so much of pain in the mind. OK relax!