At a time when the country is witnessing a spat of moral policing incidents, a tribal village in Jharkhand set a new precedence and organised a kissing competition for married couples. In what they called as celebration of love and romance, 18 couples locked their lips in presence of thousands of people.
The contest was organised as part of the Dumaria Mela at Dumaria village in Pakur district in the presence of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator Simon Marandi.
Marandi said it was an initiative to check growing cases of divorces among couples in the tribal community and strengthen their relationship.
“Tribals are basically innocent and illiterate. Due to which, the family system is weakening. To make them aware of our social structure and responsibility towards the family, the idea of a kissing competition was conceived,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
The paper claimed that though tribal dances, archery and running competitions have been part of the two-day fair, it is the first time a kissing contest has been added to the list.
