________________
OCTOBER, 1902.]
NOTES AND QUERIES.
435
anniasi, No. 20620 6x-conviét,on Solemn ! Notes by the Sub-Divisional Officer. Affirmation, states, accused abuses everyone in Accused denies the charge and states it is a the village and threatens to burn everyone in false and unjust one. He states he prays to his the village one by one; he perform púja, and gods morning and evening and does paja, but intimidates veryone in the village. He was all he has never done anyone harm or intimidated right until released.
anyone. Female Ram Data-on Solemn Affirmation, Enquiry from the chankid.ir (village watchstates, that accused took a dislike to her and made
man) and the rest of the villagers concerning her ill by making jadú (magic) against her. He this man elicited that they all admit that accused also stopped her cows from giving milk. performs prija; but beyond this he has never
Rim Khilwan,on Solemn Affirmation, done them any harın. Accused has resided ten states, he knows that accused performs půjd, but years in Protherocpore Village, and bcurs a good knows nothing else about him.
character.
NOTES AND QUERIES. HINDU CHILD MARRIAGES.
think of this practice or transaction, which is in (Part of a Petition sent by a prominent Bombay vogue at present and comes daily under our Citizen to the Gae kwar of Baroda.)
observation ? The practice of selling their daughters It is neither a religious nocessity nor a or own girl offsprings prevalent amongst the stringent duty to be performed in accordance various Hindu communities of Gujarat, with the Shastras ; but, on the contrary, disKathiawar and Cutch for the time, circum- posing of girls in such a way for money considerastances, and status of the social conventionalism tion is strictly prohibited by the Shastras. This have reached to such a climax that, unless some is simply a prevailing practice made available for thorough and substantial arrangements towards the satisfaction of self-interest by low-minded reformation be not made, the corruption would be avaricious parents amongst many Hindu comtoo heart-rending to describe. We daily come in munities, but which is abhorred by other respectcontact with numerous fresh examples of innocent able and more intelligent persons of the communidaughters falling prey to the giant custom, and ty, though allowed by them to pass off unprotested heartless parents offering them as sacrifices for want of joint co-operation with a Luther-like before the altar of their discontented avarice. Is start. Hundreds of girls, as soon as they are sold there no remedy fo eradicating this most dis- in marriage, have to deplore the loss of their old graceful and cruel custom ? Could anything be husbands, fit to be their grand-fathers, in the done towards the amelioration of the degenerat. primo of life, and many a widow is pining in ed and disgraceful state of the country and the loneliness and sorrow on account of this most people wherein this giant and inhumane custom barbarous custom. All the refined men of educa. of Kanaya Vikraya is prevalent P Hundreds tion and intelligenco pity these scenes, which and hundreds of instances can be quoted and are most horrible to depict. Corruption is rising verified in which poor innocent girls have been to its extreme, and has overstepped the bounds cruelly thrown into the abyss of destruction and of morality. Sins reproduce sins, immorality and ruin by their money-loving parents amongst degeneration reign throughout in such communiseveral Hindu communities inhabiting the above ties: no alternative left ; no redress given; Nature mentioned parts of the country. Is not this prac- must predominate. It is not necessary to be more tico an open dealing or trade in human life? explicit. The sins of commission and results The sale of girls practice, in many parts of Guja- ensuing from such enforced child-widowhood rat, Kathiawar, and Cutch, is worse than slave- may be more easily imagined than described. trade, which has been prohibited by our benign Generally, persons marrying on a third or fourth British Government. When we practically see a occasion are well-to-do and they can only afford girl of eight or twelve years offered as bride by her to pay high prices for girls, and the consequence cruel avaricious parents or nearest authoritative is that these rich widows, in a very short time relatives to the highest bidder, never mind what after the death of their husbands, are led astray his age may be, fifty, sixty or seventy, what do we by some self-interested and debaucherous persons, SA free woman, never a convict.
51. 6., first on ticket of-leave and then as a released • A free man, never a vonvict.
(ex-) convict.
