Australian Bride Brings Pride to Indian 'Rat Eater' Caste

[Guest guest]

PATNA, India (AFP) - The marriage of a low caste villager to an

Australian woman in the Indian state of Bihar has brought prestige to

his community, who have for decades been battling their "rat eater"

status, relatives said.

 

"It is a matter of great pride for us that one of our villagers

wedded a foreigner even when society looks down upon us," said

Reejhan Manjhi, a cousin of the groom, Sanjay Manjhi.

 

The 24-year-old Australian, Erin Butlet, married Manjhi in a

traditional Hindu ceremony in New Taradih village in the Gaya

district of Bihar at the weekend.

 

The couple met and fell in love in the north Indian hill station of

Dharamsala, home to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama,

where Manjhi runs a shop.

 

They married in a civil ceremony at Dharmsala on December 27 but

Manjhi, who hails from the Mushhar (rat eaters) community, among the

lowest of India's myriad castes, wanted the union solemnised by his

village.

 

According to the groom's relatives, Butlet has now become the pride

of thousands of members of the Mushhar clan, who are Dalits --

previously known as "untouchables."

 

"Erin had once dropped into my shop. I fell in love with her at that

very moment," the groom told the Asian Age newspaper.

 

"It was love at first sight and such was the intensity that we had a

court marriage on December 27, almost a month after we met."

 

The Indian constitution officially bans caste discrimination but the

ancient Hindu system of the hierarchical division of society

continues to dominate the lives of many.

 

SOURCE: News

URL:

http://news./s/afp/20060110/od_afp/afplifestyleindia_06011015

2146;_ylt=AjtH0g_R8Q1WWq6zEs5ogp0FO7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3

JlbA--

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

I visited Dharamsala. It is an interesting place, to my eye very

influenced by the presence of his holiness and the Tibetan community

in exile, and subsequently from all of the western tourists that are

attracted there because of this.

 

Subsequently I found that the atmosphere was very different from what

I encountered in Chandigarh and Delhi. It was easier, as a westerner,

to strike up real conversations with the Indian shopkeepers and I

enjoyed some of those very human encounters.

 

They are blessed to have found each other, love is a grand thing.

 

I do wonder what her experiences will be deeper in the country.

 

Blessings,

 

prainbow

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

>

> PATNA, India (AFP) - The marriage of a low caste villager to an

> Australian woman in the Indian state of Bihar has brought prestige to

> his community, who have for decades been battling their "rat eater"

> status, relatives said.

>

> "It is a matter of great pride for us that one of our villagers

> wedded a foreigner even when society looks down upon us," said

> Reejhan Manjhi, a cousin of the groom, Sanjay Manjhi.

>

> The 24-year-old Australian, Erin Butlet, married Manjhi in a

> traditional Hindu ceremony in New Taradih village in the Gaya

> district of Bihar at the weekend.

>

> The couple met and fell in love in the north Indian hill station of

> Dharamsala, home to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama,

> where Manjhi runs a shop.

>

> They married in a civil ceremony at Dharmsala on December 27 but

> Manjhi, who hails from the Mushhar (rat eaters) community, among the

> lowest of India's myriad castes, wanted the union solemnised by his

> village.

>

> According to the groom's relatives, Butlet has now become the pride

> of thousands of members of the Mushhar clan, who are Dalits --

> previously known as "untouchables."

>

> "Erin had once dropped into my shop. I fell in love with her at that

> very moment," the groom told the Asian Age newspaper.

>

> "It was love at first sight and such was the intensity that we had a

> court marriage on December 27, almost a month after we met."

>

> The Indian constitution officially bans caste discrimination but the

> ancient Hindu system of the hierarchical division of society

> continues to dominate the lives of many.

>

> SOURCE: News

> URL:

> http://news./s/afp/20060110/od_afp/afplifestyleindia_06011015

> 2146;_ylt=AjtH0g_R8Q1WWq6zEs5ogp0FO7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3

> JlbA--

>

[Guest guest]

This is actually quite sad, no matter from whatever angle you choose

to see it ....How would a marriage to an Australian make anyone

better unless one still thinks that a white man is worth 10 colored

ones... and why are hindus so "open-minded and accepting" with

everyone else but choose to be so close-minded and jugmental with our

own people?

 

ciao

Tang

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

>

> PATNA, India (AFP) - The marriage of a low caste villager to an

> Australian woman in the Indian state of Bihar has brought prestige

to

> his community, who have for decades been battling their "rat eater"

> status, relatives said.

>

> "It is a matter of great pride for us that one of our villagers

> wedded a foreigner even when society looks down upon us," said

> Reejhan Manjhi, a cousin of the groom, Sanjay Manjhi.

>

> The 24-year-old Australian, Erin Butlet, married Manjhi in a

> traditional Hindu ceremony in New Taradih village in the Gaya

> district of Bihar at the weekend.

>

> The couple met and fell in love in the north Indian hill station of

> Dharamsala, home to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama,

> where Manjhi runs a shop.

>

> They married in a civil ceremony at Dharmsala on December 27 but

> Manjhi, who hails from the Mushhar (rat eaters) community, among

the

> lowest of India's myriad castes, wanted the union solemnised by his

> village.

>

> According to the groom's relatives, Butlet has now become the pride

> of thousands of members of the Mushhar clan, who are Dalits --

> previously known as "untouchables."

>

> "Erin had once dropped into my shop. I fell in love with her at

that

> very moment," the groom told the Asian Age newspaper.

>

> "It was love at first sight and such was the intensity that we had

a

> court marriage on December 27, almost a month after we met."

>

> The Indian constitution officially bans caste discrimination but

the

> ancient Hindu system of the hierarchical division of society

> continues to dominate the lives of many.

>

> SOURCE: News

> URL:

>

http://news./s/afp/20060110/od_afp/afplifestyleindia_06011015

>

2146;_ylt=AjtH0g_R8Q1WWq6zEs5ogp0FO7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3

> JlbA--

>