Solapur man stages one-day protest, wearing wedding headgear, demanding help to marry
A 28-year-old farmer from Solapur protested outside the zilla parishad office, saying joblessness was blocking his marriage, and listed demands for the administration.
Kisandev Dattatray Nanaware, 28, a resident of Kurul village in Mohol taluka of Solapur district, raised his grievance over being unable to find a bride in an unusual way. Wearing a "bashing" (traditional wedding headgear) on his head, he staged a one-day sit-in protest in front of Poonam Gate at the zilla parishad office. He said his marriage was not working out because he was a farmer and unemployed.
Kisandev owns about half an acre of farmland but is currently unemployed. According to him, this situation is the biggest obstacle in the way of his marriage. To bring this issue to the administration's notice, he staged the sit-in with the headgear on, which drew the attention of people nearby. Nanaware said the difficulty of not finding a bride for marriage was not his alone, but a common problem faced by farmers with little land and unemployed young men.
During his protest, Nanaware also placed some demands before the administration. His first demand was that the social welfare department set up a government all-faith marriage registration centre for farmers and unemployed youth. He believes such a centre would give young men and women looking to marry a proper platform.
Nanaware also demanded that the government give a marriage grant of Rs 1 lakh to farmers and unemployed youth who marry. He said the government should help young people whose marriages are being held up because of their financial situation. He also demanded that a house grant of Rs 2 lakh be sanctioned for them to live in after marriage. In addition, he demanded an interest-free loan of Rs 2 lakh, without the need for a guarantor, to help them start their own business and become self-reliant.
Nanaware claims the issue of marriage for farmers and unemployed youth is becoming more serious by the day, and that this was why he staged the protest. His unusual style of demonstration is being widely discussed in Solapur district. He said clearly that he would not end the protest until his demands are met. Attention is now on how the administration views these demands and what decision it takes next.
