Koya Durga (35) has not yet given any name to her eight-year-old son. “I fear that if we take his name, something bad might happen to him,” she says.
In Sriramapuram village of Uppada-Kottapalli mandal, on the Uppada coast in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada district, Ms Durga is among the many mothers who fear naming their children. They say that the sorrow and pain that consanguineous marriage brought to their families is so deep and intense that they do not dare to celebrate any more of their personal achievements, including naming their children.
Pithapuram assembly constituency, from where Deputy Chief Minister K. About 600 families in the village under which Pawan Kalyan is elected, most of whom belong to the Yadav community, despite their economic and educational standards, share a common affliction – the burden of endogamy and inbreeding.
Most of the families here were traditionally pastoralists, who have taken up agriculture and aquaculture, which flourishes on the Uppada coast.
At the age of 13, Ms. Durga married her 15-year-old maternal uncle, Koyya Appala Raju. They were married in 2002. “Our family fixed our marriage six months after I became an adult,” says Ms Durga.
Within two years of marriage, she gave birth to a child, who died due to health complications at the age of five. The couple did not have any children for 14 years after the death of their first son.
“We had another child in 2016. Even though it was a cesarean delivery, my happiness was limitless. But my son did not cry like healthy babies. We had to keep him in the ICU for 25 days in a private hospital in Pithapuram,” she recalls.
When my son was nine months old, we got him tested and he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The boy sometimes has seizures.
“Doctors concluded that some deformities may emerge as he grows, but there are possibilities for a cure in the future. They said that endogamy is the main reason for these health disorders,” says Ms. Durga.
The calming sound of the waves or the soothing sea breeze seems to provide a little respite to these villagers, who are overwhelmed with many children suffering from serious health problems as a result of the strict adherence to a culture of endogamy.
burden of unhealthy customs
“Today, at least 25 children born to couples having consanguineous marriages in our village are suffering from various mental and physical disorders. At least 30 endogamous marriages may have taken place here in the last few years,” says farmer Perla Venkat Babaji, who has also married within the family. Within two years, three endogamy marriages took place in our village, says the 40-year-old man, adding that two of his three sisters have done endogamy.
Elaborating on the high prevalence of endogamy in villages on the Uppada coast, Kosuru Ravi Kumar, medical officer at the primary health center at Perumallapuram in Thondaangi mandal of Kakinada district, says: “Many endogamy marriages are taking place in our area. This practice is more prevalent among the Yadav and fishermen community.”
About 70% of children born to couples who are married with ‘first degree’ consanguinity may develop health disorders. He says that given their genome history, marriage between a girl and her maternal uncle can be called ‘first degree consanguinity’.
Sri Babaji says the implementation of the practice of inbreeding begins with the ‘Voni’ promise, which is made right after the birth of a girl child in the community. That is when family members choose a boy and make a verbal agreement with the girl’s family that when she attains marriageable age, she will be married to the boy.
It is also customary that when the girl attains puberty, her parents remind the boy’s family of the ‘Voni’ promise. Villagers say that if a family violates a promise, it is also considered a serious crime.
A of Perumallapuram of Thondaangi mandal. Vara Lakshmi married her maternal uncle, a geologist in a central government institute, as per the ‘Voni’ promise made by her parents on the day of her birth. The master’s degree in commerce he possessed hardly helped in shaping his destiny.
The eldest of his two children is his four-year-old daughter Akanksha, who cannot speak, respond, or balance her movements and constantly requires a guardian.
“We never thought that our Akanksha’s fate would be so bad. Doctors at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS-Bengaluru) confirmed that she is suffering from Dandy-Walker Malformation (DWM) and it is the result of consanguinity,” says Ms. Vara Lakshmi, who like Ms. Durga does not want to name her little child, a four-month-old boy, fearing that something bad might happen to him if she celebrates his birth with a naming ceremony. Celebration.
However, the grim reality of the unhealthy practice reflected in the unimaginable suffering of Ms Akanksha has not stopped her grandfather from arranging another endogamy in the family.
“Looking at my granddaughter Akanksha, I hesitate to ask my son to take the same risk. But the entire family has given their consent for his marriage with a girl from the same family during ‘Voni’, and I cannot go back on my word. The engagement is likely to take place during the upcoming Pongal festival.Kadari ArjunuduRural, Perumallapuram
“Looking at my granddaughter Akanksha, I hesitate to ask my son to take the same risk. But the entire family has given their consent for his marriage with a girl from the same family during ‘Voni’, and I cannot go back on my word. The engagement is likely to take place during the upcoming Pongal festival”, says Kadri Arjunudu.
evil of dowry
Meanwhile, in Perumallapuram gram panchayat, every family has a history of endogamy, says Budiga Ramana, a farmer and local politician. “As of 2019, at least 25% of the marriages taking place in our village were consanguineous marriages. Now it has come down to 10 percent. Everyone is aware of the health consequences of consanguinity, but socio-economic factors like land for dowry and familiarity of the alliance are something that our Yadav community cannot discount while making marriage alliances,” claims Mr. Raman, who Married to his niece.
Officials say that despite the high prevalence of birth defects caused by incest in the region, no special surveys were conducted or targeted campaigns were conducted to curb the practice.
“There is no specific campaign targeted at the prevalence and prevention of the practice of sodomy. However, our field-level staff has been campaigning against endogamy during various programs and door-to-door campaigns of surveys.JN Narasimha NaikKakinada District Medical and Health Officer
Kakinada District Medical and Health Officer JN Narasimha Naik said, “There is no specific campaign targeted at the prevalence and prevention of the practice of endogamy. However, our field-level staff has been campaigning against endogamy during various programs and door-to-door campaigns of surveys.
Dr Naik said local communities are fully aware of the health consequences of endogamy and yet choose to continue it for various reasons, including cultural and economic.
prenatal consultation
Meanwhile, Dr Vittal, superintendent of the Government General Hospital (GGH-Kakinada), says they are trying to create awareness among consanguineous couples who come to the hospital for antenatal health checkup. “We collect marriage history during prenatal tests. We also inquire about homogeneity, especially when some defects are detected. The families of both the couples are called for a counseling session where we explain about the possible birth defects, their causes and treatments. We are also performing minor surgeries on children to remove some damaged parts or prescribing treatment at GGH-Kakinada,” he says.
Father of a boy suffering from albinism in Sriramapuram village of Uppada Kothapalli mandal of Kakinada district. , Photo Courtesy: T. Appala Naidu
“In our region, especially among Yadavs, it is necessary to give dowry if the bride’s family owns land and 90% of the agreed dowry is given in the form of land, but not in cash,” Nagalla Srinu says. An elderly man in Sriramapuram village sees his neighbour, an albino boy, Krishna, born out of consanguineous marriage, going to school.
The sudden boom in economic activities with the development of Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) and development of Kakinada Port for multi-sector industries in the region has brought unprecedented demand for land here in recent times. With land prices rising, people here say the demand for land as dowry is also increasing, forcing more families to prefer endogamy over other unions for their children.
a decisive step
Meanwhile, Perla Nukalamma of Kodada gram panchayat of Thondaangi mandal has taken a decisive step to end the misery of endogamy in her family. While two of his three children were born blind, he resolved to end the practice with himself and not pass it on to the next generation.
She explains that all the children were born out of endogamy, which was imposed on them in childhood
Perla Nukalamma and her visually impaired son Sattibabu. , Photo Courtesy: T. Appala Naidu
Ms. Nooklamma, a daily wage laborer, decides to marry her son to a girl from outside her family. “People started thinking about opponents of homogeneity. However, the lives of some like us are irreversible”, says his 30-year-old son, Mr. Sattibabu, who aspires to become a government school teacher. His wife, Ms. Kameshwari, is also visually impaired, but she is not from the same family.
“My husband passed away in 2011 due to prolonged illness. I had to sell 30 cents of family land to pay for the treatment of Sri Sattibabu, who was beginning to suffer from seizures. My entire life has been full of challenges as if I was born to face them, thanks to my marriage,” she laments. She resolves that there will be no nameless grandchildren in her family.
However, in Sriramapuram, Ms. Durga is heartbroken. “I have made up my mind not to try for another child. I can’t undergo family planning surgery because I can’t rest for weeks after the surgery and let my baby suffer. There is no one to take care of my sick boy,” she says as tears well up in her eyes.
“My sick boy, who shall not be named,” she says, wiping her tears.
(The names of the children have been changed to protect their identities)
published – November 22, 2024 12:43 am IST
