The sad case of five year old girl married off to a dog

Bhubaneshwar: A five-year-old girl has been married off to a dog in an elaborate ceremony in Mundasahi, a suburb of Bhubaneshwar.

Naveen Munda, the father of the young bride, gave away his daughter to the dog. Raghunath Munda served as the ‘groom’s’ father.

Naveen said that there is a belief among the tribe that as soon as a girl grows teeth, she should be married off to a dog to ward off tigers, wild animals and other evil.

City-based NGOs have decided to oppose such marriages in the future by creating awareness among the Munda tribe.

Source : Mid-Day.Com

This is very sad because few tribal people still have such strange customs. However it is not such a big deal as the title may suggest. They will be married later normally to humans and the dogs would not consummate the marriage. I think the NGO’s should focus their energy in education and health and let the tribals be with their own customs, however strange that may seem to us. We do not want to lose them like Mayans or American Indian’s. With their different ways and customs and rituals they are a very valuable part of India and part of what makes India.