Mumbai: Kutchi Jain Communities Unite To Promote Inter-Sub-Community Marriages With ‘Beti Vyavahar’ Initiative

Mumbai: In a historic decision, the Kutchi Jain communities have come in unison to pave the way for promoting marriage across the sub-communities, which was normally not approved until now. With this major collective decision of all the sub-communities, the Kutchi Jains aim to solve the issue of girls marrying out of the community and help the less educated men find a potential partner by starting ‘Beti Vyavahar’.

Since centuries, the Jain communities from Kutch which consist of Kutchi Visha Oswal, Kutchi Dasha Oswal, Vagad Visha Oswal, Gurjar and Halari Jains have been arranging marriages within the sub-community, which had created an unsaid norm restricting people to marry someone out of their sub-community. However, in a recent meeting of all the Kutchi Jain communities, the matter was brought up and it was decided that the communities will promote marrying their daughters into any of the Kutchi Jain sub-communities.

In a meeting conducted at the Karshan Ladhu hall in Dadar, all the sub-communities shared a common issue of marriages faced by the youth. The communities raised concerns regarding girls marrying people out of the Jain community and boys remaining unmarried due to less education, although they earn a handsome amount of money through their family businesses. The communities pressed that since the religion as well as the culture of all the Kutchi Jain sub-communities are similar, starting ‘Beti Vyavahar’ between them will prove beneficial for all.

Gunvanti Satra, vice president of Vagad Visha Oswal Jain sub-community, said, “Girls marry out of their community and due to that boys face lack of potential partners. Even their lack of higher education becomes a reason that educated girls deny marrying boys within the community. Starting Beti Vyavahar will solve both the issues at once as youth will get more options from different sub-communities to choose from.”

The sub-communities will form a coordination committee which will organise future meetings and prepare a roadmap towards facilitating the beti vyavahar. The plans consist of creating a system where biodatas of aspirants can be shared with potential candidates from other sub-communities. The coordination committee will be chaired by Devchand Chheda from the Kutchi Visha Oswal community and plans are in place to give pace to the initiative after the paryushan festival in September.