E-Paper
Will you marry your pet?
People globally are legalising their love for pets by marrying them.
The recent marriage of an eight-year-old girl to a dog complete with dowry and full-blown celebrations is absurd to many but not really surprising. Earlier, a a nine-year-old girl, Karnamoni Hasda, in Bengal was married off to Bachhan, a stray dog for similar reasons - she had grown "dog teeth". Hasda belonged to the Santhal tribe who believe teeth rooted at the upper gum is a bad omen which can be warded off only by marrying a dog.
However, the practice of marrying animals is not unique to India. A growing number of people across the world are now legalising their love for their pets by marrying them. Marryyourpet.com is one such site that enables this practice. A testimonial from a cat-owner reads:
"Henry and I are a perfect match; our marriage is wonderful. We've been everywhere together and are very protective of each other. When I had to go to the hospital, Henry sat on my stomach while the doctor put in the stitches..."
Henry, of course, is the esteemed cat in question. This is just one of the several stories that has been legalised on the site.
Henry's case is quite similar to that of Hasda's. At the time of marriage, Hasda told reporters that she loved Bachhan dearly and was really pleased to marry him. She added that she would take care of him so that he wouldn't have to live on leftovers anymore. The story was splashed in media across the world and was either laughed at or sympathised with for being seen as a violation of human rights. But with more and more people marrying their pets, it might not be so absurd after all.
Marryyourpet.com offers features like Ask Adrian who gives you advice on whether your pet is really the one for you or not. Else you can take a compatibility test. After the formalities are over, you will recieve a certificate stating that you and your pet are now married. If you feel a friend is living in sin with their pet, you may decide to 'Gift a Wedding' to them!
