I got this from CNN, what are your thoughts? please share your thoughts.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/24/polygamy.investigation/index.html
HIMACHAL PRADESH, India (CNN) -- Amar and Kundan Singh Pundir are brothers. Younger brother Amar breaks rocks in a mine for a living. Kundan farms their small piece of inherited land. They live in a beautiful but remote hillside village in the clouds of Himachal Pradesh, India.
Kundar Singh Pundir, left, and his brother Amar, right, share Indira Devi, centre, as their wife.
Kundar Singh Pundir, left, and his brother Amar, right, share Indira Devi, centre, as their wife.
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Both aged in their forties, the two brothers have lived together nearly their whole lives. They are poor and share just about everything: Their home, their work and a wife.
"See we have a tradition from the beginning to have a family of five to 10 people. Two brothers and one wife." Kundan says.
They practice what is known as fraternal polyandry -- where the brothers of one family marry the same woman. Why? Tradition and economics.
Life is hard here. The village is precariously perched on the side of a very steep hill about 6,000ft up. Most of the villagers survive off tiny plots of cropland.
In this difficult terrain there isn't enough land to go around. So, instead of finding separate wives and splitting up their inherited property, the brothers marry the same woman and keep their land together.
Wife Indira Devi says life with two husbands isn't easy.
"We fight a lot."
But like any married couple they fight mostly over mundane stuff, except there are three spouses instead of two.
Location: carl sagan's universe
Posted on: 24-10-08 10:52:35
This reminds me of a sardar friend of mine in Germany who told me after being 2 years in Germany and not having returned to India nor met his wife in those two years that he was blessed with a son.
I asked him how and he said "mera bhai jo betha hai".
true story- not made up.
Location: God's own country
Posted on: 24-10-08 11:42:33
Yeah. Looks like it happenes everywhere, set to the local conditions.
In Downtown Chennai where I was living in 1994, My house owner was the elder brother of 2 siblings and he got married. Now he owned a prime piece of residential property in downtown and the wife did not like it to be split into two. Therefore she made sure that the younger brother was satisfied (sexually) through her and that he did not get married.
Peace by TK
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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.
This is an age old custon in some parts of rural India. I guess CNN ran out of regular news , that is why they came up with this one. Or i guess they want to divert the attention of american public from the financial crisis.
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You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
Yeah. Looks like it happenes everywhere, set to the local conditions.
In Downtown Chennai where I was living in 1994, My house owner was the elder brother of 2 siblings and he got married. Now he owned a prime piece of residential property in downtown and the wife did not like it to be split into two. Therefore she made sure that the younger brother was satisfied (sexually) through her and that he did not get married.
Peace by TK
I don't get this. There's no need for a son/daughter to get married in order to claim rights on parental property. So whats she trying to achieve by satisfying the younger brother sexually and keeping him away from marriage ?!?!?!?!
If her brother gets married to another girl and she marry some other guy the property would have to split isn't it. Anyway, it seems to be an acceptable part of the culture and I am just trying to understand by seeking others opinion and real life experiences here. Now this is the real democracy.
