In a bizarre, yet not-so-surprising incident, a group of almost 200 bachelors from different parts of Karnataka will be embarking on a 3-day bachelor's march 'Brahmacharigala Padayatre' in hopes of finding suitable brides.
The march is being conducted till the Male Mahadeshwara Hills temple in Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka to seek the blessings of god.
Reportedly owing to the rising cases of female foeticide resulting in a skewed sex-ratio, the villages are witnessing an acute shortage of eligible women.
Meanwhile, the men responsible for organising and participating in the march believe that that women prefer marrying men from the cities as opposed to the farmers and agriculturalists settled in villages, which is why they are unable to find suitable brides.
Initially, a few unmarried friends above the age of 30 decided to come together for the march to seek blessings from the deity and support each other, but soon they posted their idea on social media and they realised that many men are dealing with similar issues.
Soon several men started showing an interest in the cause and as many as 150 people from all over Karnataka including Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagara, Tumkuru and even Bengaluru have already registered.
The 105-km march will be conducted from Mandya to Male Mahadeshwara temple in Chamarajanagar from February 23rd to 25th.
While the irony may be lost on these unmarried men that the issue of bride shortage is grave and needs to be taken seriously, the solution to finding their brides through a divine bachelor's march is, frankly, quite laughable.
And some netizens have reacted to this rather bizarre news with some humour. One user wrote, "Try Bumble, Tinder, Aisle instead."
Others, meanwhile, have tried to point out the actual issue behind the problem.
One user wrote, "At least now people should realize that they have to stop searching for brides in their own castes and be open to marry anybody. They should also encourage inter caste marriages through such forums."
(With inputs from The New Indian Express and Indiatimes)
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