A marriage in tribal-dominated Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh is making waves on social media. A former sarpanch married his three girlfriends in a single ceremony on April 30 after being in a live-in relationship with them for 15 years.
Six children of Samrath Maurya and his three girlfriends also participated in the marriage ceremony. They had a great time, local sources said.
Polygamy and live-in relationships are nothing new among tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh. Also, polygamy is legal for tribal communities, according to the Constitution.
Nonetheless, the fact that Maurya (35) decided to formally marry his three girlfriends to be able to participate in community rituals that was hence prevented for them, is making a splash.
Maurya, former sarpanch of Nanpur, married Nan Bai Mujalda, formerly of village Kharpai, Mela Solanki, formerly of Ajanda village and Sakri Chaungad, formerly of Kharkuan village in a ceremony organised at Nanpur (Moriphalia) over three days from April 29 to May 1. The main marriage ritual was held on April 30, according to a wedding invitation card.
Sources said Samrath fell in love with the three women at different times and was in a live-in relationship with them for the past 15 years. He had four children with Nan Bai (33) and a son each with Mela (29) and Sakri (28).
At the time he fell in love with the women, the economic condition of Samrath was not good enough for formal marriage that requires quite some spending on feast and other rituals. Though they were happily living together in one home, Samrath, his three partners and their children could not attend the traditional rituals of the Bhilala tribal community to which they belong, as their marriages had not been solemnised.
Now that he is quite comfortable economically, so Samrath decided to undergo the marriage ceremony with three of his partners at once, sources said. The ceremony was attended by relatives, community members and even some local leaders.
