Inter-caste/Community Marriages: Contestations and Negotiations in the Family

Abstract

In India, caste and religious customs have long guided marriage decisions. Even today, inter-caste and inter-religious marriages are viewed as a deviation. Though the Constitution of India had legalized inter-religious marriage through the Special Marriage Act, 1954 in most of the instances, it is socially unacceptable. There has also been an increase in love marriages; however, such relationships are not always acknowledged. In this context, this article discusses inter-caste and inter-religious marriage occurrences in this environment, emphasizing the significance of the mother in these unions. A mother plays a ‘key’ role in the upbringing of a child and is held responsible for his or her overall development. Therefore, this article focuses on how the blame for not following the customs and norms by an individual (son or daughter) rests with the mother. Drawing on the in-depth personal interviews and a few observations from the fieldwork, this article talks about how a mother negotiates between the strict patriarchal and caste conventions of her community and the love she has for her child.