Youngsters at the mercy of ‘kalyanam mudakkikal’

KOLLAM: Flex boards that warn villagers, ‘Beware of marriage meddlers’, in Perumpuzha and Vadakkevila sum up the gravity of the problem faced by youngsters of marriageable age in these villages.
Youngsters, both male and female, find it difficult to get married as these ‘kalyanam mudakkikal’, often come in the way of marriage plans of many.
They disrupt marriages by weaving false stories, through anonymous phone calls and letters, etc.
According to sources in these villages, these anonymous meddlers have disrupted at least 10 marriages in the region in the last six months.
When this practice became rampant, boards warning those involved in the act began to be put up in many parts of these villages. At first, the villagers treated it as something to laugh about, but it took a serious turn when the images of these boards started appearing in social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut.
According to Shameer A, a bachelor, these boards were being put up to send a strong message to those spoilsports who wrecked marriages by spreading false stories. According to him, the incidents of marriage proposals getting aborted in the village were rampant. Though many such incidents have been reported, not many people have thought of lodging complaints fearing negative publicity.
Like most villagers, Shameer is also not sure who has been putting up such boards, but he appreciates those who are doing this.
Jayan Vadakkevila, a local politician, said the issue wasn’t serious enough to warrant such publicity. These sorts of things keep happening in other parts of the state also, he avers.
“We have heard of such incidents where meddlers have wrecked marriages, but it is nothing serious. In Malabar there is a custom called ‘Sorakalyanam’; this isn’t very different from that.”