Women empowerment has been a huge talking point in India for the past few years. There have been some exemplary examples in the field of sports, education and entertainment. However, due to a largely male-dominated society & outdated traditions, that conversation has rarely made it past the boundaries of our city walls.
Due to a slew of crimes targeted on women in both rural and urban areas of the country, the entire focus has now shifted towards protection of women, rather than empowerment. And if that’s not bad enough, reports have suggested that an Indian village rents women.
According to India.com, a village in Madhya Pradesh harbours the harrowing culture of renting women for a nominal amount of money.
In the village of Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, there is a custom called Dhadeecha Pratha. According to this practice, rich men who are/were unable to find a partner/wife for themselves can find one in this village. However, it doesn’t involve marrying a woman.
According to the Dhadeecha Pratha, a man can rent a woman as his wife on a monthly or yearly basis. The deal is done with the villagers by signing on a ₹ 10 stamp paper. And once the time-limit is over, the man can chose to renew the contract or move on.
However, according to Asia Net News, this ugly trade isn’t restricted to Madhya Pradesh, since similar reports have come in from Gujarat as well.
Citing female infanticide as the primary reason, reports say that a Gujarati farm labourer Atta Prajapati had leased his wife Laxmi to a wealthy zamindar. This deal earned him a monthly salary of ₹ 8000.
Rumour suggests that this has become a trending business in the Gujarat-MP belt. Prices are ranging from anything between ₹ 500 – ₹ 50,000. And to make matters worse, reportedly there are middle-men here as well who’re scamming the villagers.
India is a gigantic country with huge sections rooted in regressive cultures and practices. So, we can keep talking about statistics that show how our country is great for business or celebrate arbitrary tax cuts. However, in order to really make a change, we need to step out of our air-conditioned chambers, admit our status, report to the concerned authorities and make a consistent effort towards change.