Very interesting article in New York Times about disappearance of polyandry (one woman marrying more than one Husband) in this region.It happened where one woman married more than one husband mostly brothers for the sake of preserving enough land so they may survive. As a side benefit it served as a keeping size of the families in check.
I have one problem with her article.
""LYDIA POLGREEN
Published: July 16, 2010
MALANG, India — Buddhi Devi was 14 when she was betrothed. In India, that is not unusual: many marry young. Her intended was a boy from her village who was two years younger — that, too, was not strange. But she was also supposed to marry her future husband’s younger brother once he became of age.""
In this article .Any date would have been fine .I guess the date serves the purpose of publishing date.It seems that Ms Polgreen visited Malang for the story(please confirm).Brian Sokol must have visited Malang or some other place to take the picture of Ms Budhi Devi who got married 56 years ago.It would help if picture and location was specified by date/place.
The first line is so loaded i would not even give Lydia Polgreen the benefit of doubt ."In India that is not unusual: many marry Young."
This line implies that it is common in India today for people to marry as young as 14I am sorry to remind her that marriageable age in India for girls is 18 and boys is 21.
POLYANDRY IS A VERY TANTALISING SUBJECT.
To exploit as story is fine but to mix what happened three generations ago in story line with today is criminal For the principal reporter of New York Times premium newspaper of USA .Ms Polgreen has more responsibility than that.
Reporting of abuse of marriage age laws is good news story.BY intention or neglect throwing stones at India's society which has struggled with much success since independence to correct its follies in line with universal declaration of human rights is a cause of celebration not curse.
APOLOGY FROM NEW YORK TIMES AND LYDIA POLGREEN IS IN LINE OF THE BLUNDER.A reporter from NYT in India should be more sensitive than this article shows to the efforts being made in India to eliminate child marriages.On search of legal marriageable ages around the world i found it to be highest in India at 18 and 21.In majority of US states it is 18 and with parental consent it is 16.In America we have a very large number of teen pregnancies of unwed mothers and i think it would be better if these children had both parents taking care of them.
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