A village that frowns upon 'outsider' brides, grooms

Kavai (Rajasthan) -- Heard of a place where parents marry off their sons and daughters only among neighbours? Welcome to Kavai village in Rajsthan's Baran district.

Located 325 km from Jaipur, the village has some 40 houses, all belonging to the Rishieshwar community. There is hardly any house that has a son-in-law or daughter-in-law from outside the village.

The bonding has been so successful that every father wants to marry his daughter in the same village. Many families have been following the custom for as long as they can remember.

"This is a very old tradition. Three generations of my family have been married in the same village. I, my son, daughters and grandchildren are all married in the village," says Badrinath, 75, from Kavai village.

People of the Rishieshwar community came here long ago from present day Madhya Pradesh in search of employment, according to media reports. "We have different cultures and an orthodox way of living. So we prefer to marry among those who understand our culture and follow it. We marry our kids in our own village," explains Chittar Mal, another villager. "We are still following the 'purdah' system and the female literacy rate is quite low," he added.

However, some feel that these marriages are a major impediment in the growth of society as it bars cultural exchange required among the people for their development.