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News Article: Girl Weds Dog in Puppy Loveless Marriage

 

MOHANPUR, India (Reuters) - A four-year old Indian girl has

married a stray dog in a traditional Hindu service -- and it

wasn't a case of puppy love at first sight.

The bizarre ceremony was prompted by an astrologer who told

the girl's father that the ceremony would transfer the evil

effects of the planet Saturn from the girl to the dog.

The girl, Anju, had suffered several illnesses and had

fallen in ponds, fractured bones and burnt her hand in the

kitchen, the father, Subal Karmakar, said.

"The astrologer said the evil effect of Saturn can be

countered by marrying the child to a dog," he said.

Anju was married Monday with Hindu priests chanting hymns in

front of 150 of the 250 residents in a village, a cluster of 15

huts amid paddy fields 35 miles north of Calcutta.

Residents of the village, mostly illiterate, enjoyed the

feast but ridiculed the ceremony.

"He is superstitious, but why should I care if he wants to

waste money and give us a feast? I enjoyed the rice, meat, curd,

lentil and sweets," said Fakir Chand Durlab, Karmakar's

neighbor.

Anju's father was unrepentant.

"I did the right thing for my child. My grandfather had

arranged a marriage of a relative with a dog 40 years ago and

the remedy worked."

Villagers said they enjoyed the sight of the girl garlanding

the dog the way a Hindu bride does. Villagers then helped the

dog put a garland around the bride with its paws.

The girl's bridal attire, the music and the menu at the

feast matched a traditional marriage ceremony, villagers said.

Police said they were aware of the ceremony but not bothered

by it.

"Nobody has complained," said Satya Das Ganguly, who heads

the local police station. "Nobody has been harmed and I don't

think any law has been violated."