Mandya: Struggling to find brides despite being well past the usual age for marriage, more than 30 unmarried young men from Maraliga village in Maddur taluk, Mandya district, submitted an unusual appeal to their gram panchayat to construct a mutt for them.Driven by growing frustration and a sense of hopelessness, the men symbolically declared their intention to embrace “sanyasa.” Led by Prasanna, the group expressed that parents of prospective brides increasingly prefer sons-in-law with govt jobs, sidelining those engaged in agriculture. Once regarded as a respectable and dependable livelihood, farming is now met with reluctance, leaving even financially stable and industrious farmers without marriage prospects.Their appeal left panchayat members stunned. They assured the farmers that the matter would be brought to the notice of the higher authorities.Parents of these young men also voiced their distress, saying that the stigma attached to farming families has pushed many youths into involuntary bachelorhood.Maraliga gram panchayat vice-president Siddalingiah acknowledged that this crisis has persisted for over two decades. He noted that more than 150 men between the ages of 35 and 40 remain unmarried solely because they are farmers. “Some even built their own houses hoping it would improve their chances, but families still refuse to consider them. It has become truly unfortunate,” he said.The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the changing perceptions of rural livelihoods, rising job insecurity, and evolving marriage expectations in Karnataka’s villages.It may be recalled that in March this year, a similar situation unfolded in Averehalli in Mandya taluk, where around 80 young men unable to find brides undertook a pilgrimage on foot to the Male Mahadeshwara Temple in neighbouring Chamarajanagar district, hoping that their devotion and prayers would pave the way for marriage.
