| People Over the years the India government has passed many laws and set up many offices and institutions in an attempt to eradicate certain social customs and to provide some protection to the more vulnerable members of society however whatever has been written, said or done, the fact remains that in many areas Indian Citizens are not benefiting from these laws. Caste exclusion; caste remains a very complex issue but despite many government attempts at reform and in the face of the great social upheavals that are taking place in the cities, in these rural areas caste remains a very important part of the social fabric leaving many people marginalized and at a great disadvantage in terms of benefiting from education, health and employment opportunities. Bonded labour; although this practice is outlawed by statute it continues and is often passed from parent to the child. Widows; widows are still regarded as a source of misfortune and are excluded from many social situations, little regard seems to be paid to their needs or the needs of their children. Customs and traditions add colour, interest and a sense of belonging to a social group, however in these villages the actions arising from people’s belief in ‘witchcraft’ continues to blight the lives of many.
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The management of domestic animals is a vital aspect of villagers lives. The women in the Chincholi area are beginning to think about organising the marketing of surplus milk from their cows and buffaloes. |
Although a few tractors and trailers are seen on the roads, most field work is done by hand or with oxen. |  |
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Women pumping water from a bore well. All domestic water must be carried to the house. |
Lamani women dancing at the end of a self-help group meeting. |  |
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Woman with goat and kid. |
Temple prostitutes or devidasis; although outlawed, it remains a custom in some villages. If a family considers that it cannot afford to provide a dowry for one of their daughters, the girl is married to ‘a god’ and thus as a devidasi becomes the common property of the village. Life is very difficult for the children of the devidasa. Daughters have little choice but to follow their mother’s life. Sons will have great difficulty in finding a family prepared to allow them to marry one of their daughters. Child marriage; Indian law forbids marriage for girls before the age of 18 years and before 21 years for boys but the custom of child marriages remains. A girl of 7 can find herself a widow for life, without having ever lived in her husband’s house, if disease or accident should strike. Infanticide; the burden of an extra mouth to feed and an extra dowry to find, is still leading to the killing of babies, girls in particular, at birth. Migration to cities; often the younger men of the family will migrate for part of the year to the big cities for work, this has the advantage of enabling them to bring in a wage at times when there is no paid work in the area but does so at the cost of family disruption and is resulting in many cases of HIV AIDs being brought back to these otherwise isolated villages
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