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This article is very very wrong about South Indian Hindus. I'm one and I have never heard of an uncle-niece marriage. It is a taboo. Decades ago cousin marriage
by boundlessdreamz 17y ago
This article is very very wrong about South Indian Hindus. I'm one and I have never heard of an uncle-niece marriage. It is a taboo. Decades ago cousin marriages were common but it has all but disappeared now and is mostly taboo.
- thras 17y agoMaybe things have changed since 1985. This article found that 33% of all marriages were inbred in Bangalore, Mysore, and Karnataka: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2803361 http://www.jstor.org/pss/2803361 Also, according to the article I just linked, "The highest rates of inbreeding were observed in the Hindu community among whom there was a notable preference for uncle-niece marriages."
- boundlessdreamz 17y agoProbably because I'm from Kerala and as mentioned in the article you linked, the incidence of cousin marriages were just 4.5%.
- sriramk 17y agoSadly, I think the article might be right about South Indian Hindus (I'm one too). Though very rare in modern urban areas (I think), it is definitely common in large parts of Tamil Nadu atleast. I have atleast one such couple in my extended family (they got married over 2 decades ago though). You see this reflected in a seemingly infinite number of movie storylines - where the hero is betrothed to his sister's daughter or some such thing.