In this hamlet in Andhra Pradesh, every marriage is sponsored by families in the community

Crowd-funding may be a millennial concept, invoked mostly in the context of an innovative creative project or social enterprise. But it is an age-old tradition in a remote tribal settlement nestled in the Eastern Ghats.

Villagers in Baadigam, a Jatapu tribal hamlet in Kothru mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, deploy their own version of ‘crowdfunding’ to finance the weddings of girls in the community.

Kadrika Kalavitham was a recent beneficiary. The entire community shared her wedding expenditure and sponsored the setting up of the new couple’s household. In May this year, she received gifts from each one of the hamlet’s 25 families.

“At least 10 more girls have reached the marriageable age. All of them will get married as per our tradition,” Kadrika Bhudevi, a Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNRGS) field assistant, told The Hindu over phone. Ms. Bhudevi’s own wedding took place in 1996 as per tradition. In 2012, two girls, Sarada and Chinnammi, got married the same way.

Gifts announced

Panchayat ward member Kadrika Sarojini explains how the contributions are made. “Soon after the alliance is fixed, all the families announce their gifts.” These may be a cot, bicycle, dressing table, TV, utensils, rice or sweets and cash, she said.

No clue to history

Kadrika Suryanarayana, one of the tribal elders and a health assistant, said that the present generation had no idea how and when the tradition started. “We do not have any clue to the tradition’s history. Our elders have practised it, making it mandatory for every family to share in the responsibility of performing the wedding for every one of the girls in the hamlet,” Mr. Suryanarayana told The Hindu.