One wife, two husbands: Polyandrous marriage spark social media storm for India

Bride sidon between two men for small village of Himalayan for India, dem smile to di camera.

But no be ordinary wedding picture as she sidon between two grooms wey she just marry. Dia marriage dey unusual for kontri wey polygamy and polyandry dey illegal.

Na him make di marriage pictures of Sunita C and two brothers Kapil N and Pradeep N on July 12 trend for social media, some social media users troll dia families wit insulting comments online. E also cause national debate.

Three of dem from di Hatti community wey be indigenous tribal group wey dey usually for di northern hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along di basin areas of Giri, and Tons rivers.

Dis community wey get about 300,000 pipo spread across 400 villages for di region, dem get dia name from dia old tradition of trading crops, vegetables and wool for local markets wey dem dey call 'Haats'.

India initially bin dey recognize 700 tribes wey represent 8.6 percent of di kontri population.

For 2003, di Indian goment grant di Hatti pipo dia scheduled tribe status, wey make dem dey eligible to get various social welfare schemes and job quotas plus educational institutions.

Though pipo dey identify dem as Hindus, but di Hatti pipo dey follow marriage rituals wey dey different from di traditional Hindu ceremonies.

Dem dey call am "jodidara" or "jajda", di weddings dey involve say di bride and groom go exchange dia vows face to face dan to do di usual customary seven rounds around di sacred fire wey dem dey practice for Hindu marriages.

Anoda tin be say na di bride wey dey lead di marriage precession to di groom house, unlike wetin dem dey do for Hindu practice.

Di work commitments of di family members dey follow shape how di marriage go be.

"For earlier times wen one broda comot to go lead animals for bush for months, di oda broda go dey wit di bride, dem go take turns to live wit her wen im return. But for modern times, dem dey resolve such issues through collective understanding within di family, na so Sher Jung Chauhan tell BBC. Im be local journalist from Hatti community.

"Issues like which pikin go answer which father name, na wetin dem dey resolve within di family".

Custom wey dey happun under environment'

Di Hattis religious practices dey blend Hinduism wit animistic rituals, and local shamanic deities wey dey play central role for di dia customs and daily life.

Dem dey do oral storytelling for community "haats" to keep di Himalayan origins alive. Traditional attire like di woollen garments wey dem ddey use hand make, dey add vibrancy to dia identity, while dem say di joint family system dey help promote unity and sharing of resources.

Before before, di Hatti community dey encourage brodas to marry one wife to avoid fragmentation of land holding. Arable land dey scarce and to divide ancestral property among multiple brodas as inheritance fit dilute family resources.

Di Indian constitution dey allow tribal communities like Hatti to preserve dia custom, except for some cases wey get goment ban.Yashwant Singh Parmar wey be di first chief minister for Himachal Pradesh and academic write for im book Polyandry in Himalayas say "di tradition come from di harsh realities of mountain life, while dem dey try to preserve limited land resources.

But di marriages don dey too dey rare dese days.

Experts dey attribute am rising literacy levels, economic development and di influence of modernization.

Kapil Chauhan, wey be local resident say at least four to six families for every village for di region still dey practice polyandry.

"Na our identity and na matter of pride. If di families wey dey involved dey comfortable wit am, no oda pesin suppose be get issue wit am," na so e tell BBC.

According to local social activist Ramesh Singta "dem dey now do most marriages quietly and no much fanfare".

Choice or exploitation?

Tori of di marriage cause big kasala for social media for India.

While some dey see am as matter of consent, odas argue say e dey infringe on women's rights.

Supporters dey defend di Hatti community "jodidara" tradition say e preserve di land and family unity, add say na about consent and cultural heritage.

Critics dey question how relevant e dey for modern day, di legal status for Indian law and gender dynamics, say e don dey outdated. Some say pipo wey dey practice am na hypocrites wey dey accept polyandry and dey reject polygamy.

Di family defend di choice say na all about dia happiness and di tradition.

Local politician and state industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan believe in di old tradition.

"As dem keep dis practice alive, Pradeep and Kapil don honour dia cultural heritage, na so e tell BBC.

But many dey question weda dis dey bring any improvements to di status of di woman for di household, say e dey make am worse.

"Dis practice dey encourage exploitation of women and violate dia fundamental rights," na wetin Mariam Dhawale tok, im be general secretary of All India Democratic Women's Association.

She tell BBC say di act of having two husbands fit dey put more pressure on di woman to bear more children.

However, Asha Devi, wey be local woman wey inside "jodidara" marriage, say di tradition no compromise woman freedom.

"Contrary to wetin pipo dey tink, women still get right to refuse or leave such marriage if they wish, and dem no dey force anyone into am, weda man or woman", na so Devi tell BBC.

Sunita na trained technician wey study for Industrial Training Institute. Pradeep na state goment employee, while Kapil dey work for hospitality sector abroad.

Di bride tell reporters say she willingly enta into di marriage.

"Na my decision. I don embrace age old tradition."

Her husbands share di same view.

"Dis relationship dey reflect our faith in our tradition and say we dey share di responsibility to take care of each oda," na wetin Pradeep tell Indian media.

Three of dem don pledge love and to make sure say stability dey dia unique union.

Polyandry for oda cultures

Though e dey rare, some cultures still dey polyandry, like Kinnauris and Himalayas and di Todas for southern India.

E get oda tribes wey dey practice am around di world, like di "walking marriages" of Mosuo pipo for China (for dis one dem dey men dey go visit women for night and return in dia maternal homes) and fraternal polyandry for Tibet to anoda one for Irigwe Nigeria and di Amazonian tribes like Bororo.

Reports of am dey for Maasai pipo of East Africa, though dem don outlaw plenti of dese laws and some don fade.

(Additional reporting by Deepak Sharma).

Text adapted by Swaminathan Natarajan and edited by Alexandra Fouché